The ambitious £8 million development of York Art Gallery has been given a boost by confirmation of a £3.5 million grant from National Lottery through Arts Council England. Work is due to start in January 2013 on upgrading the historic building in the heart of the city with the new gallery set to reopen in Easter 2015.When finished the gallery will boast 60 per cent more exhibition space and will provide a national Centre for British Studio Ceramics. A suite of three ground floor galleries will show more ambitious and high profile exhibitions, the existing learning space will be doubled and a new sculpture garden will link to the existing York Museum Gardens.A newly built first floor South Gallery and a new gallery in the original Victorian roof space will become the home for the gallery’s nationally important ceramic collections.Janet Barnes, chief executive of York Museums Trust, said the gallery would be “one of the best in the country”. Expressing her delight that the Arts Council had confirmed their previously ring-fenced £3.5 million lottery grant she also praised the Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement, Shepherd Group and The Foyle Foundation for showing their faith in the project by pledging further funds. “Without such funding the development would not have been possible on the scale we believe is necessary to transform the gallery.”Private legacies and trust have also supported the project.
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