A $578,000 GRANT from the Lottery Grants Board has provided a
"huge boost" to Otago Settlers Museum redevelopment
fundraising efforts, museum director Linda Wigley says.
The grant, which was announced at a museum board meeting
yesterday, will fund state-of-the-art exhibition cases for
the redeveloped museum.
Some of the "bespoke" cases would be about 4m long and about
3m high, and would help present the museum's treasures in an
attractive, but well-protected way, Ms Wigley said.
Through its $35 million redevelopment, the museum planned to
exhibit more artefacts which had previously been held in
storage, and would also use some of the new exhibition cases
to present more rapidly-changing displays, museum officials
said.
The museum had earlier been seeking about $10 million from
Government and community sources towards the overall
redevelopment project costs, with the Dunedin City Council
funding the balance.
A detailed financial update was not available from the
council yesterday, but more than $9 million has apparently
been raised, including a $6 million government grant for the
project, announced in 2008.
Ms Wigley yesterday welcomed the latest grant, from the
Lottery Grants Board's environment and heritage committee,
which is the largest lottery grant received by the
council-owned museum.
Museum officials were "very excited" by this "huge boost" to
the museum's fundraising efforts.
The museum was also hoping to raise further funds, beyond the
initial $10 million target, including to enhance the appeal
of planned new exhibitions when the redeveloped museum opened
late next year.
Museum board chairwoman Dr Dorothy Page said the grant was
"tremendous" and reflected a "professional approach" to
fundraising by the museum's staff.
This "unusually large" grant would significantly benefit the
museum, she said.
john.gibb@odt.co.nz
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