Following the Covid-19 outbreak, all galleries and museums in the UK have had to close, however, many galleries have announced that they will be offering a range of programmes to bring creativity to the homes of local residents.
The Tate, who have four galleries across the UK, has announced plans to encourage creativity at home from viewing the art collections digitally, to listening to Tate’s podcast series or watching ‘How To’ videos to learn from some of the UK’s best-known artists.
For children who are now off school, the Tate has also launched new online student and teaching resources that can help with lesson planning.
The staff at Manchester Art Gallery have also been working to make the gallery’s collections and community programmes available at home through digital platforms.
The gallery will use Zoom and Facebook to bring regular events including Art Bites, Philosophy Cafe and parts of the gallery’s well-being programme so that audiences can continue to explore the collection and benefit from the programmes in their homes.
Alistair Hudson, director of Manchester Art Gallery said: ‘The gallery has been at the centre of Manchester life for nearly 200 years and seen many wars, crises and struggles, but this is the first time we have been forced to close our doors to the public.
‘Fortunately, this has happened in a digital age, and means we do not have to stop work, but can do our bit to help people through this difficult moment.
‘Our staff and volunteers are thinking creatively and are excited about exploring new ways of connecting people with our collections, our archives, and the ideas that have shaped this historical institution th
‘It’s at times like this when you realise the value of our public museums and galleries as free places for people to come together. On the other side of this, we are going to need our city’s cultural centres more than ever to re-socialise and celebrate the strength and resilience of human culture.’
Photo Credit – Manchester City Council