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Sheffield ARTICLES

Sheffield's Galleries The Best In The Region

13th January 2009

The Weston Park gallery was formerly known as the City Museum and the Mappin Art Gallery.

It was originally opened in 1875 and displayed collections of archaeology, natural history, decorative art and social history.

During 1990's the collections in the museum were 30 years out of date and was not meeting the expectation of the general public.

This led to the gallery receiving grants from public and private partners. The Sheffield City Council, the H&L Cantor Trust, DCMS/Wolfson Trust, Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund through the South Yorkshire Objective 1 programme all donated to the Weston Park gallery.

Weston Park has now got up to date exhibits and has been herald as a place for learning, discovery and enjoyment.

Another important part of Sheffield's culture is the Millennium Gallery situated in the centre of Sheffield and opened April 2001. The Millennium Gallery, the Winter gardens and the peace Garden form Sheffield's Heart of the City Project.

The venue is for visual arts, crafts and design and is not like traditional art galleries.

The gallery also boasts masterpieces from Britain's national collections and new artists.

In the gallery's Learning Centre talks and workshops are given as well as activities for school, colleges and community groups.

The Special Exhibitions displays national and international masterpieces from galleries such as the Tate and the Victoria and Albert Museum. This year it hosted the Vivienne Westwood exhibition for several weeks.

The Craft and Design gallery has the largest exhibition space in the South Yorkshire region. On display is work from contemporary designers and masters of the past. The works of local, regional, national and international artist are often up for sale, giving art lovers the opportunity to buy exquisite pieces.

As Sheffield is one of the world leaders in domestic, decorative metalwork and silverware, it is only fitting that there is a Gallery dedicated to such works.

The exhibits in the gallery have been given the mark of approval by being of nationally designated collections. The Designation Challenge Fund, who also sponsors the exhibitions, granted the accolade.