£190,000 upgrade for Exeter Museum

Exeter is proud to have one of the country's best World Cultures collections. Credit: ITV West Country

A museum in Exeter will receive £190,000 grant to upgrade one of it's galleries.

The money will be used to redisplay the 'World Cultures' gallery at the city's Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM).

The award was one of the £4 million grants announced by Matt Hancock, Minister of State for Digital and Culture and comes from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.

30% more of the collection will be on display, including Asian costume, African carving and beadwork.

RAMM's World Cultures galleries opened in 1999 after the ethnographic collection was awarded Designation status in recognition of the range and quality of objects from Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and the islands of the Pacific Ocean.

The ethnographic collection has been awarded Designation status. Credit: ITV West Country

Interactivity has been increased to help engage families and young people with the central themes of diversity, society, faith, environment and identity.

New showcases will show Asian costume, African carving and beadwork. Credit: ITV West Country

The grant will upgrade the galleries to match the 2007 to 2011 refurbishment that won RAMM the Museum of the Year Award in 2012.

Eight museums in the Southwest secured a total of £840,000 in funding - these include:

  • Royal Cornwall Museum Truro

  • Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth

  • SS Great Britain in Bristol

  • Tate St Ives

Nationally 39 museums and galleries across England will benefit from grants totalling £4 million.