Swindon & Wiltshire News
Salisbury’s Young Gallery accredited by Arts Council England
The Young Gallery in Salisbury has been awarded accreditation by Arts Council England – opening up new funding opportunities.
The gallery is a free art museum located upstairs on the first floor of Wiltshire Council’s Salisbury Library.
It has a collection of over 4,000 artworks, prints, sculpture, books and photography.
The gallery – which is overseen by the Young & Creasey Gallery Trust – has also been awarded a Small Open Grant of £2,000 from Museum Development South West to support the museum’s messaging and ability to accept small donations.
The grant will help the museum to communicate how donations support the work of the Young Gallery and enable visitors to give small donations through a contactless donation point and a digital platform.
The grant was awarded by Museum Development South West, thanks to support from Arts Council England and the Art Fund.
Cllr Richard Clewer, leader of Wiltshire Council said, It is fantastic news that The Young Gallery has been recognised by the Arts Council England for its professionalism and sound management.
“This accreditation will make it possible for the gallery to develop and grow, opening the door to exciting new opportunities to bring art to Salisbury in the future.”
The Young & Creasey Gallery Trust was formed from the merger of the Edwin Young Collection and The John Creasey Museum in May this year.
The collection started with over 300 watercolour paintings of scenes of Salisbury and the surrounding area by Edwin Young (1831–1913), after whom the gallery is named.
The gallery has since acquired watercolours by artists of various periods. In addition, the gallery has around 2,000 books in more than 20 languages, as well as book jacket designs, manuscripts, and ephemera related to the crime/thriller novelist John Creasey in the 1970s.
The collection has expanded to include a collection of artwork and prints. It contains original works by Edgar Barclay, William Goldsmith, Robin Tanner, as well as prints by the English artists John Constable, David Hockney, Henry Moore, and J. M. W. Turner.
Dr Emily Dunbar, curator and gallery manager, said: Securing accreditation for the newly merged Trusts is a fantastic step forward for the Young Gallery and means we will be able to continue to provide vibrant, free exhibitions and engagement with our collection.
“We are also very grateful for the Small Open Grant as this will help us to communicate the charitable status of the Young Gallery, while also enabling an easy, modern way for people to support the museum and its free programming.”
Emmie Kell, director, museums and cultural property at Arts Council England said: “We’re delighted that the Young & Creasey Gallery Trust has been successful in gaining their Accreditation status.
“This means that their Collections will be looked after and maintained offering inspiration, enjoyment and learning for the local community and visitors to enjoy now and in the future.”
