Mansfield Museum and Palace Theatre to get £1.7m arts funding boost

The National Portfolio grant will be delivered over three years in payments of £579,304 and used to provide various projects at the neighbouring town centre venues on Leeming Street.

Coun Stuart Richardson, Mansfield Council portfolio holder for regeneration and growth, said he was thrilled to see such a massive amount of investment in the arts coming into Mansfield.

He said: “Our cultural services team work to create healthier, proud communities and enrich the creative, cultural and heritage opportunities for people in the district.

“We have a track record in delivering regular creative opportunities in Mansfield to build aspiration and skills and enrich the cultural lives of local people.

“With this significant investment, we will be employing more staff to run engaging new activities and also work with our harder-to-reach communities, ensuring they have access to the arts.

“These funds will focus on addressing the legacy of British colonialism with communities, recognising colonial trophies and imperial attitudes in Mansfield Museum.”

The funds will see live performances moving outside the museum and theatre into the community and the district’s priority neighbourhoods.

There will also be a series of temporary exhibitions in areas with the least access to publicly funded culture.

Sian Booth, council cultural services manager, said: “As well as all the new and exciting events programme, we are also planning to invest in the next generation of museum curators through the creation of the Young Curators programme.

"This will be a wide-ranging and, above all, fun programme for young people, allowing them to engage and learn about the arts sector.

“We also plan to create pop-up exhibitions around the district to share our collections more widely and enhance our place as well as a new cohort of collection volunteers.”

Sir Nicholas Serota, Arts Council England chairman, said: "We are facing economic pressures at present but this funding is about an investment in our future. This portfolio will support the next generation of visionary inventors, makers, performers and artists."

Arts Council England is also investing in Mansfield’s Unanima Theatre, Inspire, which runs Nottinghamshire’s libraries, and The National Holocaust Centre, near Ollerton.