The Durham University Oriental Museum in the United Kingdom is to transform access to its South Asian and Himalayan collections thanks to a grant from the Arts Council.

In the face of fierce competition from museums and galleries across the country, the Oriental Museum has secured £114,000 from the Arts Council’s Renaissance Strategic Support Fund.

The money will be used to fund a two year project focusing on the museum’s collections from India and other countries across South Asia and the Himalayas, researching the collections, supporting community and youth engagement work and creating resources for a new gallery at the museum planned to open in 2015.

The Durham University Oriental Museum, is the only museum in the North of Britain devoted entirely to the art and archaeology of the Orient. Our Chinese and Egyptian collections are among the finest to be found anywhere in Britain. Visitors can explore galleries devoted to China, Ancient Egypt, Japan, India and Tibet, the Islamic World and South East Asia.

‘This two year project will transform the South Asian and Himalayan collections of the Durham University Oriental Museum into an accessible resource; enhancing the visitor experience, supporting community and youth engagement work, and promoting scholarship. To complement a new permanent gallery at the museum this project will develop a complementary regional touring exhibition, review and research the collections, develop learning resources for schools and build community links and programmes. Our investment will enable people to engage with the fabulous collections in the north east.’

View all Asia-Europe Museum Network members from the United Kingdom.