Museum cashes in after reaching national award final

Derby Museums’ Museum of Making has been awarded £15,000 after reaching the final of a prestigious national competition.

The Museum of Making has been awarded the money as a finalist for the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year Award 2022.

Art Fund annually shortlists five outstanding museums for the Museum of the Year prize.

This year’s winner, Horniman Museum and Gardens (London), receives £100,000 with the four other finalists, Museum of Making (Derby), People’s History Museum (Manchester), The Story Museum (Oxford) and Tŷ Pawb (Wrexham) each receiving £15,000.

The Museum of Making opened in May last year following a multi million-pound transformation.

Standing on what is widely regarded as the site of the world’s first modern factory at Derby Silk Mill, the pioneering museum celebrates Derbyshire’s 300-year history of making, innovation, and technology, with some standout objects, from a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine in the main atrium, to a Toyota car suspended above the heads of visitors as they enter the building.

Since opening, the museum has welcomed over 105,000 visitors through its doors to see the permanent collection, as well as exhibitions.

Tony Butler, executive director of Derby Museums said: “Being a finalist for Art Fund’s Museum of the Year Award in our first year of operation is an incredible accolade.

“I would like to say thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make the museum a success, including our staff, volunteers, funders, supporters and, of course, our visitors.

“I would also like to pay tribute to the winner, Horniman Museum and Gardens, and the other finalists, all of whom have worked so hard to make their museums a success, and to say thank you to Art Fund for selecting us to be part of this process and its generous £15,000 finalist award.

“It has really helped to put us on the map and shine a light on the innovative way we have shaped and developed this new museum for the 21st century.”