Although McManus Galleries and Museum is closed at the moment for extensive re-development, the past year has been an exciting and very busy year for the curators! They have been adding all sorts of fascinating objects to the Museum's collection, ranging from a Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer and spiders to contemporary art and antique silver.
Many of these objects will be displayed in the new Museum. The objects have come into the collection in a variety of ways, from donations by individuals or companies, to purchases aided by grants from the National Fund for Acquisitions, the Art Fund and through the National Collecting Scheme Scotland.
Curators have been keen to collect items that reflect Dundee’s development as a modern City. To this end, they have collected objects including a life size “Michelin Man”, a fascinating (and fun!) 1943 edition of the Beano, and a beautiful 19th century Albert Cycling Club trophy.
Items that tell us about the natural history of the area also have featured heavily during the year. The Kinnaird Collection of fossils has been on loan to the National Museum of Scotland for many years, but was returned to Dundee permanently in 2007.
It contains many significant fossils, including eurypterids, which were a type of arthropod that hunted fish in rivers 400 million years ago. A lot is still unknown about these animals, as arthropod fossils are very rare.
Our Fine Art Collection has recently been recognised as being of National Significance by the Scottish Government's ‘Recognition’ scheme. To ensure that the collection remains of national significance for future generations, art curators have been busy acquiring contemporary work. Recent additions to the collection include: Tim Knowles two-part work ‘Larch on Easel: Buttermere Shore #1’ a beautiful drawing made by the action of the wind on a Larch tree; Andy Goldsworthy's photographs of ‘Scratched River Stones’ which was gifted by the Contemporary Art Society and ‘Summerwine’ a monumental drawing by Franziska Furter.
Over the past four years funding from the National Collecting Scheme for Scotland has allowed our Curators to travel throughout the UK and further afield to Switzerland, Italy, Denmark and Sweden in pursuit of some of the very best international work.
Our outstanding collection of Dundee-made and Scottish silver is one of the highlights of our Decorative Art collection, which has also recently been recognised as of National Significance. Loans from Dundee’s collection played an important part in the recent exhibition Silver: Made in Scotland at the National Museum of Scotland, the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of Scottish silver ever held.
In February this year we purchased six items of outstanding Dundee silver. Most of these pieces were previously in the collection of Dundee's most important private silver collector, the late Dr William Guthrie, author of ’Dundee Silver 1750–1850’.
75% grant-aid was received from The Art Fund for a pair of superb silver buckles, c 1770, made by William Scott; and also for a most unusual clan badge made around 1850 by Whytock and Sons, Dundee. Other items received 50% grants from the National Fund for Acquisitions.
This is just a selection of the interesting and exciting objects which have been added to the Museum’s collection over the past year. It illustrates the variety of objects that the Museum collects in order to safeguard and develop Dundee’s Cultural and Natural Heritage for the enjoyment of all our visitors from Dundee and around the world.
February 2008
Arts & Heritage Staff Celebrate Recognition of the City’s Fine and Decorative Art, and Whaling Collections
Congratulations are due to the McManus Galleries & Museum staff who successfully demonstrated that the City’s fine and decorative art collections, along with its whaling collection, have been recognised as being of national importance.
As you would expect, the City has one of the best collections of Scottish painting in the country. But did you know that the art collection numbers some 6,000 items, spans four centuries of production by artists working in Britain and Europe and is remarkable for its breadth, diversity and quality. Were you aware that McManus Galleries & Museum has prints by the French greats Jean Renoir, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet and Marc Chagall, the finest work by a Pre-Raphaelite artist in a Scottish collection – Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s ‘Dante’s Dream’ – or that Dundee was the first local authority to collect fine art photography?
Recent fine and decorative art acquisitions, supported by significant external funding, have focused more ambitiously on work of international quality to place the Scottish collection in context. This includes photography by Mat Collishaw and studio glass by Bruno Romanelli.
Dundee’s proud history as a seafaring port has resulted in a unique and internationally important whaling collection. The highlight of this collection is the Tay Whale skeleton, but also includes fascinating Inuit material, photographs, scrimshaw and historic harpoons.
The Scottish Government launched the ‘Recognition’ scheme last year in order to recognise collections which were considered to be of national significance, but which were not held in a national museum.
Recognised museums have the opportunity to bid for special funding to make the collections more accessible and to improve care of the collections.
25 September 2007
A Local Hero!
A wonderful evening of entertainment is in store for family and friends of primary 5 pupils from Dundee schools, on Thursday 27th September.
Set against the spectacular backdrop of Camperdown House, the creative learning project, ‘Local Hero’, centres on the life of Dundee born Admiral Adam Duncan and the events that led to his status as both local and national hero along with the origins of Camperdown House and park all brought together for a unique presentation by pupils from Brackens, St. Fergus and Ardler Primary Schools and Random Theatre Company.
The performance follows a 6-week creative programme involving the pupils exploring the Admiral’s life and the importance of his achievements. The youngsters utilised resources from the McManus Galleries collections, taking inspiration from the ‘Glorious Victory’ exhibition held at the museum in 1997 resulting in the creation of amazing artworks that include large scale boat sculptures, Camperdown waistcoats and hats and a special musical tribute.
Local Hero! is a new creative learning programme for children and young people in Dundee, developed and delivered in partnership by Dundee City Council’s Leisure and Communities and Education departments. It aims to encourage exploration and awareness of Dundee’s stories, buildings and collections and the role they play in shaping how the city sees and defines itself today.
28 May 2007
Consider the Lilies
Another top-quality art exhibition will be on show in Kirkcudbright
Town Hall this summer, brought to the town by Kirkcudbright 2000 with
support from Dumfries and Galloway Council.
‘Consider the Lilies’ is an exhibition of Scottish paintings from the
collections of the City of Dundee and includes around 40 works by
Scottish artists for the period 1910–1980. Dundee’s McManus Galleries
and Museum is the permanent home of this collection, but the gallery
is currently closed for a major programme of refurbishment and
improvement works. Dundee gallery staff and curators from the
National Galleries of Scotland took the opportunity to develop a
touring exhibition from the collection, which first opened at the
Dean Gallery, Edinburgh, last October, and has since been shown in
the Fleming-Wyfold Gallery in London over winter, with much acclaim.
This is an exhibition of national significance which continues the
series of high quality summer art exhibitions arranged by
Kirkcudbright 2000 since ‘The Homecoming’ exhibition of 2000. It will
open on Saturday, July 7th and runs until August 27th. It will be
open every day, including Sundays, from 10.00am to 6.00pm with free
admission. It is anticipated that the exhibition will attract 15,000
to 20,000 visits during its stay in Kirkcudbright, and will further
establish the town’s status nationally as the “Artists’ Town”.
One of the key paintings in the exhibition is the large oil painting “The Tay Bridge from My Studio” painted in 1948 by James McIntosh
Patrick (1907–1998). McIntosh Patrick was born in Dundee, and is one
of the city’s most celebrated artists.
This is the view to the south
from his house in Dundee, looking across the Tay to Wormit and the
Fife coast. It is paired with his painting “A City Garden” which is
the view to the north and to the city itself. McIntosh Patrick became
a very successful landscape painter after the Second World War,
developing a distinctively realistic form of landscape painting, and
working in the Angus and Perthshire countryside in particular.
He was a very popular figure in Dundee, and was named its ‘Citizen of
the Year’ in 1979.
For further information contact:
David Devereux (Museums Curator –
Stewartry)
Education & Community Services
Telephone: 01557 331643
Fax: 01557 331643
E-Mail:
DavidD@dumgal.gov.uk
Issued by: Communications Unit, Council Offices, English St, Dumfries
Tel 01387 260331
25 January 2007
Stars Turned Out for McManus
TV presenter, Lorraine Kelly was the special guest at an opening reception and dinner held in London’s Fleming Collection earlier this month to mark the opening of ‘Consider the Lilies’ exhibition which will be in the Berkeley Street gallery until 5th April 2007.
City of Discovery Campaign Chairman Lord Provost John Letford hosted the event for around 80 invited guests including City of Westminster Lord Mayor Alexander Nicoll, Lord and Lady Airlie, MPs Jim McGovern and Stewart Hosie, Robin Fleming (relative of Sir Ian Fleming, creator of 007 James Bond) and Andrew McIntosh Patrick, son of Dundee’s landscape painter James McIntosh Patrick.
The occasion was part of an ongoing effort by the city to boost the profile of the project and put forward some valuable sponsorship opportunities for one of Dundee’s best-loved buildings to invitees.
Closing its doors in October 2005 and due to re-open in Spring 2008, the £8 million project entitled ‘Who We Are’ reflects the importance of the 150,000 objects in its collection to the identity of Dundee and its wider region.
The 'Consider the Lilies' exhibition consists of some sixty modern Scottish masterpieces from the period 1910–1980, by forty-eight artists, which are rarely shown outside Dundee. Many of the leading artists of the period will be featured including Edward Baird, John Bellany, the Scottish Colourists, Stanley Cursiter, John Duncan, Will Maclean, Alberto Morrocco and James McIntosh Patrick.
Consider the Lilies is the title of a painting by Peter Collins in the exhibition, while a pot of three lilies is Dundee’s coat of arms, symbolising the Virgin Mary, the city’s patron saint. The exhibition provides an exciting opportunity to see the best of Dundee’s modern art in the Scottish and English capitals.
City of Discovery Campaign Chair Lord Provost John Letford is delighted Dundee is being showcased in the Nation’s capitals. He said, “Dundee as a city prides itself on developing its world class cultural provision."
“The regeneration of McManus will elevate the museum to stand alongside many of the city’s other flagship developments adding to this positive profile, keeping Dundee punching well above its weight.”
Director of Leisure and Communities Stewart Murdoch said, “The reception and dinner hosted by the City of Discovery Campaign in London was a significant opportunity to target vital and specific sources of funding for this great enterprise."
“The benefits are long lasting, long term and literally ensure a place in history for all who are and become involved.”
Project Director John Stewart-Young said, “We were delighted to have been given this opportunity to showcase this magnificent collection and to use the occasion to appeal to funding decision makers that being involved in this landmark project will be monumental.”
An accompanying publication will celebrate Dundee’s modern collection and the re-development of McManus Galleries and Museum.
19 January 2007
Stars Turn Out for McManus
Dundee stars of television and screen will be special guests at an opening reception and dinner held in London later this month as part of the fundraising effort for the development of McManus Galleries and Museum.
TV Presenter Lorraine Kelly and Actor Brian Cox will join City of Discovery Campaign Chair Lord Provost John Letford at the event to boost the profile of the project and put forward some valuable sponsorship opportunities for one of Dundee’s best-loved buildings to invitees. They are both Honorary Patrons of the McManus.
Closing its doors in October 2005 and due to re-open in Spring 2008, the £8.5 million project entitled ‘Who We Are’ reflects the importance of the 150,000 objects in its collection to the identity of Dundee and its wider region.
A selection of the finest works in its twentieth-century Scottish art collection – which was shown at the Dean Gallery , Edinburgh – will now travel to London to be shown at the Fleming Collection from the end of January through to April 5th.
The exhibition entitled ‘Consider the Lilies’ consists of some sixty modern Scottish masterpieces from the period 1910–1980, by forty-eight artists, which are rarely shown outside Dundee . Many of the leading artists of the period will be featured including Edward Baird, John Bellany, the Scottish Colourists, Stanley Cursiter, John Duncan, Will Maclean, Alberto Morrocco and James McIntosh Patrick.
Consider the Lilies is the title of a painting by Peter Collins in the exhibition, while a pot of three lilies is Dundee’s coat of arms, symbolising the Virgin Mary, the city’s patron saint. The exhibition provides an exciting opportunity to see the best of Dundee ’s modern art in the Scottish and English capitals.
City of Discovery Campaign Chair Lord Provost John Letford is delighted Dundee is being showcased in the Nation’s capitals. He said, “Dundee as a city prides itself on developing its world class cultural provision.
“The regeneration of McManus will elevate the museum to stand alongside many of the city’s other flagship developments adding to this positive profile, keeping Dundee punching well above its weight.”
Director of Leisure and Communities Stewart Murdoch said, “The reception and dinner hosted by the City of Discovery Campaign in London is a significant opportunity to celebrate Dundee ’s unique collections of Scottish Paintings and will also allow supporters to discuss funding for this great enterprise.
“The benefits are long lasting, long term and literally ensure a place in history for all who are and become involved.”
Project Director John Stewart-Young said, “We are delighted to have been given this opportunity to showcase this magnificent collection in the heart of London’s West End and very grateful to our Honorary Patrons Lorraine, Brian, Lady Airlie and Professor Bernard King for sparing time from their busy schedules to support this event and the McManus project which will provide the special museum that Dundee and Tayside deserves.”
An accompanying publication celebrates Dundee ’s modern collection and the re-development of McManus Galleries and Museum.
January 2007
Creative Connections Exhibition Open Day – ‘Landscapes & Lives’
An open day is being held on Saturday 20th January at Douglas Community Centre to launch a community exhibition of McManus Galleries collection objects and artwork, which has been created during a 4-month project at the Centre.
The event is part of the Creative Connections programme which is taking place at various venues throughout the city, while McManus Galleries & Museum is closed for redevelopment.
The exhibition has been created by Centre users and arts & community staff exploring Dundee's changing landscapes and lives and the range of influences that have helped shape the City’s current identity.
The exhibition is open to the public from Monday 22nd to Thursday 25th January
from 9.00am – 10.00pm. Admission is free.
December 2006
Consider the Lilies
A selection of important twentieth-century Scottish art from Dundee’s McManus Galleries and Museum will be shown at The Fleming Collection, London , from 25th January until 5th April 2007 . The exhibition was first shown at Dean Gallery Edinburgh from October 2006, until 14th January this year, whilst major renovations take place at McManus until Spring 2008.
The exhibition will include around fifty Scottish masterpieces from 1910–1980, which have rarely been shown outside Dundee . Many of the leading artists of the period will be featured including Edward Baird, John Bellany, the Scottish Colourists, Stanley Cursiter, John Duncan, Will Maclean, Alberto Morrocco and James McIntosh Patrick, highlighting the best of Dundee’s permanent collection in the Scottish and English capitals.
Consider the Lilies is the title of a painting in the exhibition by Peter Collins. The pot of three lilies represents Dundee’s coat of arms, which symbolises the Virgin Mary, the city’s patron saint. Dundee has an artistic heritage of which to be proud. Its unique position, situated on one of the most beautiful estuaries in Europe , amid the hinterlands of Fife and the Scottish north-east coast, has long been a source of creative inspiration. Many of the artists in the exhibition, such as Alberto Morrocco and James McIntosh Patrick, strongly identified with the city. The exhibition’s connection to The Fleming Collection is heightened because Robert Fleming, the founder of Flemings bank, was born in Dundee in 1845, and he donated money to the city throughout his life. He was awarded the Freedom of the City in 1929.
McIntosh Patrick was born in Dundee and is one of Dundee ’s most celebrated artists. He first found success as an etcher but the market for etchings collapsed during the Great Depression prompting him to concentrate on painting. A City Garden, one of his most accomplished paintings, was purchased by Dundee in 1940, the year in which it was made and exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. It shows the artist’s back garden, which he painted while waiting to be called up to the army. Also included in the exhibition are Autumn, Kinnordy, 1936, the third in the artist’s celebrated Four Seasons series which made Patrick’s reputation as a landscape painter and Tay Bridge from My Studio Window of 1948, Patrick’s first major painting after the war.
John Duncan is another very distinguished artist associated with the city. Duncan is renowned as the foremost painter of the late nineteenth-century Celtic Revival movement. He painted The Riders of the Sidhe, which were the Celtic fairy folk. Each year on Midsummer Night they ride forth to a sacred circle to initiate mortals into the mysteries of their faith. Much of the imagery in the painting was inspired by Pictish symbol stones which Duncan saw in Dundee and Edinburgh .
Works by all four Colourists are displayed including A Lowland Church by John Duncan Fergusson (1874–1961). Fergusson was born in Leith and was self-taught. He moved to Paris in 1907 and soon assimilated and developed the latest developments in French painting. Whilst in Scotland in 1914 he painted a watercolour of nearby Lasswade Parish Church from which he developed A Lowland Church in 1916. The distinctive building, which was demolished in 1955, was originally designed by Robert Adam but was constructed by his brother-in-law John Clerk. The schematic design of the painting, the illusion of volume particularly in the trees and the hatched brushstrokes recall the work of Paul Cézanne, as well as Fergusson’s love of voluptuous form and rhythmic contours.
Hanging alongside is a work entitled Rain on Princes Street by Fergusson’s contemporary Stanley Cursiter. This is one of a series of seven paintings, all of 1913, inspired by the Italian Futurists, who were then at the cutting-edge of modern art. Cursiter was one of the very first artists in Britain to explore their ideas.
McManus Galleries and Museum is housed in a grand Victorian gothic revival building in Albert Square , in the heart of Dundee . It has been one of the City’s landmarks since its foundation as the Albert Institute in 1867. It was re-named after Lord Provost Maurice McManus O. B. E, who championed a programme of works to save the building in the 1980s. The current £8 million redevelopment project, entitled ‘Who We Are’, will create a state-of-the-art cultural attraction of international standing.
An accompanying publication will celebrate Dundee’s modern collection and the re-development of McManus Galleries and Museum.
The Fleming Collection is supported by the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation
Scottish Painting 1910–1980 From the Collection of The City of Dundee
Dean Gallery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Belford Road, Edinburgh
28th October 2006 – 14th January 2007
Moving to:
The Fleming Collection, 13 Berkeley Street, London 25th January – 5th April 2007
Sponsored by Lyon and Turnbull
Admission free
A National Galleries of Scotland Partnership Exhibition with McManus Galleries and Museum, Dundee
Dundee’s McManus Galleries and Museum closed in October 2005 for a major re-development and is due to re-open in Spring 2008. To celebrate the rich diversity of the City’s holdings, a selection of the finest works in its twentieth-century Scottish art collection will be shown at the Dean Gallery, Edinburgh and at the Fleming Collection, London , during the Autumn and Winter of 2006–7.
The exhibition will consist of some sixty modern Scottish masterpieces from the period 1910–1980, by forty-six artists, which are rarely shown outside Dundee . Many of the leading artists of the period will be featured including Edward Baird, John Bellany, the Scottish Colourists, Stanley Cursiter, John Duncan, Will Maclean, Alberto Morrocco and James McIntosh Patrick.
Consider the Lilies is the title of a painting by Peter Collins in the exhibition, while a pot of three lilies is Dundee’s coat of arms, symbolising the Virgin Mary, the city’s patron saint. The exhibition provides an exciting opportunity to see the best of Dundee’s modern art in the Scottish and English capitals.
In Edinburgh, Consider the Lilies will be accompanied by a display, held in the Gabrielle Keiller Display Library in the Dean Gallery , of material from the James McIntosh Patrick Archives of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and McManus Galleries and Museum. Arguably Scotland’s foremost landscape painter of the twentieth-century, McIntosh Patrick is one of Dundee’s most celebrated citizens. The display will include sketchbooks, photographs, letters and working tools such as the artist’s travelling easel, paints and paintbrushes.
McManus Galleries and Museum is housed in a grand Victorian gothic revival building in Albert Square, in the heart of Dundee. It has been one of the City’s landmarks since its foundation as the Albert Institute in 1867. It was re-named after Lord Provost Maurice McManus O. B. E, who championed a programme of works to save the building in the 1980s. The current £8 million redevelopment project, entitled ‘Who We Are’, will create a state-of-the-art cultural attraction of international standing.
Nick Curnow, Managing Director of Lyon & Turnbull, said: “As Scotland’s oldest auction house we are proud to be sponsoring the showing of this collection while the McManus Galleries are being re-developed. The quality and variety of paintings to be shown will delight and surprise those who are not already familiar with them.”
An accompanying publication, priced £12.95, will celebrate Dundee’s modern collection and the re-development of McManus Galleries and Museum.
17 October 2006
Latest News
You can now donate on line at www.mcmanus.co.uk or www.dundeecity.gov.uk and become a Stakeholder, Benefactor or Patron joining our Honorary Patrons, Lorraine Kelly, Brian Cox, Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri, Lady Airlie, Professor Bernard King and Professor Geoff Ward.
Join now and support this exciting project.
For further information on the project contact John Stewart–Young, Project Director, Dundee City Council.
11 September 2006
Civic Reception Launch
The Dundee public is being asked to do their bit to help take the city's heritage into the future.
A fundraising campaign was launched on Wednesday (August 23) to encourage the people of Dundee play their part in the multi-million pound refurbishment of the McManus Galleries.
The much loved city centre building is currently closed as preparations get underway for a massive £9 million refurbishment programme. A grand re-opening is scheduled for the end of 2007.
Lord Provost John Letford hosted a civic reception on Wednesday (August 23) to help local groups and organisations take the fundraising message to as wide a public as possible.
Dorothy Sandeman of the Dundee Art Galleries and Museums Association (DAGMA) charity and Jim Buist from the Dundee Civic Trust attended the launch.
The public appeal is in addition to a specialist business appeal launched last year, and is intended to give the people of Dundee a chance to make a contribution to the exciting refurbishment of the historic building. The public funds are going toward a lifelong learning centre for interpreting the history of the city for future generations.
People who contribute to the appeal can also enjoy a real association with the building. A stakeholder can get their name entered in a special book for a £10 donation and a benefactor’s £100 will get their name included in the fabric of the building. The £1,000 required to become a patron will also include special privileges including invitations to the exhibition openings of ‘Consider the Lilies’ in Edinburgh and London , which will feature the best 20th century paintings from Dundee .
Lord Provost John Letford said: “We are all very aware of how highly the McManus Galleries rate in the affections of Dundee people. It is a historic landmark and we are sure the public will come forward to help with this fundraising appeal.”
As a boost to the overall fundraising campaign, one of Dundee’s most famous sons – international movie star Brian Cox – agreed to become an honorary patron of his city’s McManus Galleries.
The renowned movie star and thespian has joined a strong cast that has been assembled to support the museum and gallery. Other honorary patrons already include Dundee University rector Lorraine Kelly, keyhole surgery pioneer Sir Alfred Cuschieri and Lady Airlie.
Total project funding of over £9 million has been secured from the European Regional Development Fund, Historic Scotland, Scottish Enterprise Tayside and Dundee City Council, with £5 million of this sum coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The funding will be used to fully restore the galleries and landscape a new entrance. At the same time a new pedestrianised area will be introduced around the impressive building, emphasising its place as a focal point of the city centre.
An exhibition of children’s artwork will be launched at Sidlaw Primary School in Kirkton on Saturday April 22nd.
The work has been created over the last four months as a project with the McManus Galleries & Museums Creative Connections programme.
Creative Connections is a programme of arts and heritage activities, which aims to develop access, understanding and enjoyment of the McManus Galleries collection of objects and artworks, during its period of redevelopment.
Over the four months, the children, parents and teachers have worked with artists, drama workers and heritage workers exploring the theme of collecting and the role that museums play in securing our art and heritage.
The open day event will be packed with fun activities for all the family including, art workshops, museum activities, traditional and new games with fair play and live Scottish music performances featuring Sheena Wellington.
The exhibition will continue on Tuesday 25th at 10.00am – 12 noon and 2.00pm – 4.00pm, Wednesday 26th at 10.00am – 12 noon, 2.00pm – 4.00pm and 6.00 – 8.00pm and Thursday 27th at 10.00am – 12 noon and 2.00pm – 4.00pm.
20 December 2005
McManus on the Move
To prepare for the redevelopment work, McManus Galleries is being emptied of all its contents. This process has been going on for several months and has meant that the exhibition galleries have been closed one after another to enable staff to dismantle the displays and pack the collections. This also meant that the building needed to be closed to the public from the end of October 2005.
Each one of the museum's 175,000 items in the collection needs to be packed and moved to new storage. These items range from pinned insects in glass-topped drawers, costume, oil paintings and fossils. We also have to move the famous Tay Whale skeleton, the 30ft log boat from Errol and the frieze depicting the King Crispin Parade!
The art collections will be moving back to McManus Galleries after the redevelopment, but the natural history and social history collections are being housed in purpose-made storage racks at the former Barrack Street Museum.
Not only do the collections need to move, the staff and all their furniture and equipment has to go elsewhere too!
All this by the end of March 2006.........
24 November 2005
McManus Business Fundraising Appeal
TV star, Lorraine Kelly accepts the first cheque from Dorothy Sandeman,Chairwoman of DAGMA as part of the McManus Fundraising Appeal.
The special launch evening on 23rd November attracted over 100 local business people to hear how the regeneration of McManus Galleries would present opportunities for
sponsorship. Project Director, John Stewart-Young gave a presentation on the project and McManus staff and DAGMA members discussed the plans
with a wide range of businesses from local hotels to national construction companies.
The evening was hosted by DAGMA who as a registered charity are leading the appeal and a launch for the public appeal is planned for the spring.
Lorraine Kelly said: "This project is great for Dundee and Tayside and will give this area the very special museum it deserves."
Dorothy Sandeman commented: "We have been following the progress of this project with great interest and are thrilled at the prospect of seeing these innovative plans coming to fruition.
A sympathetic combination of modern design allied with the splendid Gothic architectural features will transform our galleries into a functional, glamorous star attraction second to none.
We would urge everyone who takes pride in their city to contribute as generously as possible to this fabulous project. Our association is delighted to be among the first to donate a cheque to become a Patron and hope that many more will follow."
Recently, one of Dundee's most famous sons - international movie star Brian Cox - agreed to become an honorary patron of his city's McManus Galleries.
The renowned actor and thespian is joining a strong cast that has been assembled to support the museum and gallery. Other honorary patrons already include Lorraine Kelly, keyhole surgery pioneer Sir Alfred Cuschier, Lady Airlie and Professors Bernard King and Geoff Ward..
The project is now moving on with staff to be moved to the new McManus Collections Unit at Barrack Street by Christmas with the collections following soon after to allow building works to start in April.
14 February 2005
McManus Collections Unit
This building is being converted to form a Collections Unit
as the first stage of the "Who We Are' Dundee's 21st
Century Museum" project.
The £7.8 million "Who We Are" project will
completely refurbish and redisplay the McManus Galleries and
Museum once the McManus Collections Unit is complete.
The McManus Collections Unit will house collections
and staff while the McManus Galleries and Museum
is closed for refurbishment. Thereafter it will form an integral
part of the new museum service offering unprecedented access
to parts of the City's heritage collections.
1 December 2004
Temporary Suspension of Museum
Enquiry Services from 1st December 2004
Heritage staff based at the McManus Galleries are working
on a multi-million pound redevelopment project. The project
is called "Who We Are", and aims to create a museum
service for the 21st century.
In order to achieve deadlines for the upcoming phases of the
project, the public enquiry services currently offered at
Dundee City Council Heritage sites are being temporarily suspended
as of 1st December 2004. Enquiry services to be suspended
will include:
Requests to identify or provide information about objects
brought in by members of the public.
Enquiries relating generally to archaeology, art, history,
and natural history.
Requests to view objects in the museum collection that
are not currently on display.
The museum will endeavour to offer alternative sources of
information. A Fact Sheet containing further details is available
at McManus Galleries. We apologise for any inconvenience.
23
September 2004
The Heritage Lottery Fund has announced
a grant of almost £5m to restore the McManus Galleries.
The city centre landmark requires urgent repair work and the
grant will be used to fully restore the Galleries and landscape
a new entrance. At the same time a new pedestrianised area
will be introduced around the impressive building, emphasising
its place as a focal point of the city centre.
Urgent underpinning work will be carried out on the foundations
of the Galleries and decayed stonework will be replaced. The
main entrance will be relocated from the north to the south
side of the building to improve access and there will be a
new shop, café, education suite and improved facilities
for the disabled.
The interior will also be refurbished with all non-original
features being stripped out to create open, airy public spaces
revealing the beauty of the original architecture. The displays
and interpretation will be redeveloped to allow more interactivity
and increased opportunities for learning.
An integral part of the project will be the reopening of the redundant Barrack Street Museum (now renamed McManus Collections Unit).
This will be used as an 'open'
museum store. All McManus's non-art collections will be moved
from the basement, which is currently prone to flooding, to
McManus Collections Unit where they will be stored in appropriate environmental
conditions.
Commenting from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Colin Mclean, Manager
for Scotland, said:
"This £5 million injection of heritage lottery
funds to Dundee is great news for the people of the city.
McManus Galleries is clearly a dearly loved building. It will
be wonderful to see it restored to its full glory, drawing
people in to admire and enjoy its majestic grandeur while
stimulating regeneration of the city centre. The Heritage
Lottery Fund is delighted to be working with Dundee City Council
in taking this exciting initiative forward".
Cllr Charles Farquhar, Convener of Leisure and Communities at Dundee
City Council added "This major award will allow us to
restore and upgrade McManus Galleries and cement its place
as the number one visitor attraction in the City of Discovery.
I would like to thank the Heritage Lottery Fund, as the £5
million is the biggest investment in McManus in a generation
and will help transform it into a 21st century gallery and
museum".
The building is scheduled to close from October 2005. All
collections will be removed from the building by January 2006
and building contractors will start their programme of work
in February 2006. The building works should be complete by
January 2007 to allow for the installation of the new displays.
A grand re-opening is scheduled for the end of 2007.
During the closure staff will be re-deployed to other heritage
buildings in the city where additional activities will be
provided as practical.
John Stewart-Young, Arts & Heritage Manager "This development
will place our heritage in the heart of the city where it
can entertain and inspire a new generation to take pride in
their unique cultural identity".
Although McManus Galleries and Museum is closed at the moment for extensive re-development, the past year has been an exciting and very busy year for the curators! They have been adding all sorts of fascinating objects to the Museum's collection, ranging from a Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer and spiders to contemporary art and antique silver.
Many of these objects will be displayed in the new Museum. The objects have come into the collection in a variety of ways, from donations by individuals or companies, to purchases aided by grants from the National Fund for Acquisitions, the Art Fund and through the National Collecting Scheme Scotland.
Curators have been keen to collect items that reflect Dundee’s development as a modern City. To this end, they have collected objects including a life size “Michelin Man”, a fascinating (and fun!) 1943 edition of the Beano, and a beautiful 19th century Albert Cycling Club trophy. 
It contains many significant fossils, including eurypterids, which were a type of arthropod that hunted fish in rivers 400 million years ago. A lot is still unknown about these animals, as arthropod fossils are very rare.
A wonderful evening of entertainment is in store for family and friends of primary 5 pupils from Dundee schools, on Thursday 27th September.
One of the key paintings in the exhibition is the large oil painting “The Tay Bridge from My Studio” painted in 1948 by James McIntosh
Patrick (1907–1998). McIntosh Patrick was born in Dundee, and is one
of the city’s most celebrated artists. 
TV presenter, Lorraine Kelly was the special guest at an opening reception and dinner held in London’s Fleming Collection earlier this month to mark the opening of ‘Consider the Lilies’ exhibition which will be in the Berkeley Street gallery until 5th April 2007.
Dundee stars of television and screen will be special guests at an opening reception and dinner held in London later this month as part of the fundraising effort for the development of McManus Galleries and Museum.
A selection of important twentieth-century Scottish art from Dundee’s McManus Galleries and Museum will be shown at The Fleming Collection, London , from 25th January until 5th April 2007 . The exhibition was first shown at Dean Gallery Edinburgh from October 2006, until 14th January this year, whilst major renovations take place at McManus until Spring 2008. 
