Manchester Museum

Manchester Museum is set to re-open to the public on 18 February 2023, following a £15 million transformation. The museum reopens its doors with a mission about levelling up for culture and putting the diverse communities of Manchester at the centre of programming, including its South Asian and Chinese diasporas. The aim is to tell the diverse story of Manchester, taking a bold stance in dealing with its legacy of Empire and colonialism.

Manchester Museum will be the first-ever museum to have a permanent South Asia gallery in the UK, as a part of a landmark partnership with the British Museum. The gallery will bring forth diverse histories and experiences of the South Asian diaspora living in Manchester and will generate new ideas, events, performances, learning and public programmes in the museum. Co-curated with The South Asia Gallery Collective, the gallery will be a celebration of the contributions of the South Asian community in the UK, and to further encourage younger generations to learn much more about South Asian heritage and culture. Some of the key highlights of the South Asia gallery will include a newly commissioned mural from British artists, The Singh Twins, presenting an emotional map of the South Asian diaspora experience, a rickshaw imported from Bangladesh, Indian mathematician Ramanujan’s notebook and a saree passed down during the time of partition. 

The other highlights will include:

-The Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery, which draws on historical and contemporary links between Manchester and China to present a diverse understanding of Chinese culture, highlighting personal stories of migration, friendships and collaboration.
-​A brand new exhibition hall dedicated to ambitious shows that explore past, present and future, opening with an exhibition dedicated to the Golden Mummies of Egypt.
-Other new additions include a Belonging Gallery reflecting on what it means to belong, led by Alexandra P. Alberda, the first-ever Curator of Indigenous Perspectives at Manchester Museum, and a brand new Dinosaur display.
-Proud to be the world’s first Carbon Literate Museum, the museum has recycled and reused as much material within the museum during renovation works.
-Aiming to promote accessibility and inclusivity throughout, other new features include a Changing Places toilet, prayer room, quiet room and therapy room.

Date 03-11-2022