Glasgow appreciates the old and the new (Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (Glasgow))

Member Name: allybally

Product:	Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (Glasgow)
Date:	07/03/07 (505 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: beautiful surroundings, free, child-friendly

Disadvantages: busy

Location: Glasgow
Opening Times:
Cost: Free

+++History of the gallery+++
Kelvingrove first opened its doors to the public on 2 May 1901having previously been home to the City Industrial Museum since 1870. Kelvingrove was a major part of the International Exhibition of 1888 and it was from this that much of the money needed for the building came. Funds were also secured from the Association of the Encouragement of Arts and Music and The Town Council bringing the total funds to a measly £250k.

Although the museum opened in 1901, the collections go back to the mid 1800's, the year Archibald McLellan, the owner of the Kelvingrove mansion died. McLellan, born in 1790 worked as a coachbuilder and was well known to be an avid art collector. At the time off his death, McLellan had amassed over 400 paintings leaving them to the people of Glasgow.

+++The restoration of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum+++

Glasgow City Council began to prepare for a complete restoration of the building and radical redisplay of objects under the title of Kelvingrove New Century Project in 2001.
The restoration cost £27.9m with almost half being funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. A further £12m was allocated from Glasgow City Council and the European Regional Development Fund. And an appeal trust was set up to raise a further £5m.

Display space was increased by the removal of offices and workshops and by opening up the basement to allow for an increase of 50% off the number of objects on display.

+++The exhibitions+++

+Ground Floor+
Upon entering through the main hallway, the visitor is met with an extraordinary sight. The building alone is breath-taking with its beautifully gilded ceilings and magnificent stone work. A fully restored Spitfire hangs from the ceiling at the far end of the hall. A guide met us at the door and told us to turn to look behind where we stood. There above us was the second largest organ in Scotland and we were blessed to have arrived in time to see this tiny man take his place in front of the giant beast of an instrument to play. (I am sure making music from such a massive, intricate and beautiful machine is tantamount to middle-aged men and their sports cars...).

The ground floor is by far the most Family friendly with a Mini Museum for under 5's which gives the kids a chance to enjoy the exhibits hands on whether trying on different masks or measuring your feet against that which fits in the giant shoe on display.

There is a "Natural history" feel to much of this floor with exhibits of animals and ethnic costumes on display. There are clearly marked sign boards describing what the visitor is looking at and plenty of activities for kids to take part in - such as draw and display boards and mini quizzes.

The Environment Discover Centre also offers displays that kids can get involved with to give them a better understanding of what they are looking at. Other galleries on the ground floor include Creatures of the Past, Ancient Egypt, Glasgow Stories, Scotland's Wildlife, Scottish Art, Expression, Looking at Art, Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style, and Looking at Design

+First Floor+
This floor homes new facilities such as the multimedia Object Cinema, the History Discovery Centre, and the Study Centre. There is a strong focus on Scottish art work with exhibitions such as Scottish Identity in Art, Glasgow and the World, Scotland's First People, Sculpture Highlights and Picture Promenade.

There is also a fantastic display of Italian renaissance art including the Madonna and Child with the infant St John and two Angels, from the workshop of Pesellino. The French 19th century display includes the beautiful contributions of Monet and Vuillard and works by Rembrant can be found within the Dutch painting section.

The "Conflict and Consequence" display shows conflicts from the Battle of Langside through to the more recent Holocaust. This is a truly fascinating exhibit with armoury and weaponry on display dispersed between the battle scenes staged using armoured mannequins.

+Basement+
The basement floor features the Campbell Hunter Foundation Education Wing, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group Exhibition Gallery, the Conference Room, and the café/restaurant and shop.

The most interesting part of this floor was "ONCE" a unique collaboration between Glaswegian composer Craig Armstrong and Scottish visual artists Dalziel and Scullion who combine sounds and imagery of Glasgow to create an exhibition which will appeal to Glaswegians and visitors alike.

.+++What makes it worth it+++
What I noticed most as I walked through the heaving museum with my family were the other visitors. There were people of all ages, racial backgrounds and social standing.

Very rarely do you walk into a museum or gallery and find such a diverse public enjoying and appreciating the history of not only such a beautiful building but also its contents. This is a testament to the successful restoration and updating of the museum.

The people responsible for creating the exhibitions were tasked with a difficult job and have managed to create a space and an environment which is ground-braking in its child friendly nature. So often, children aren't exposed to such creativity until they are old enough to find it "boring". Kelvingrove strives to capture their interest early on designing a floor plan which allows for energetic little 3 year olds, sticky fingers and curious minds. I took my 3 year old and my 10 year old and both were more than happy to roam through the museum for more than three hours (believe me, this is a miracle)

+++Facilities+++
+Shops+
For once, we somehow managed to escape a museum without having to empty our wallets in the shop. The reason for this I think is that they are discretely placed throughout the venue instead of smacking you over the head as you try to leave the building. There are three shops (The Kelvin, The Mungo and the Argyle) although I must confess to having only seen two. Having peaked in briefly in to the shop in the basement, I was impressed with the quality of merchandise. Gone were the plastic kaleidoscopes and bouncy balls you often find and instead there were sensitively stacked shelves with fine jewellery, glassware, art prints and books. Having done my research, I was impressed to learn that the museum stocks many fair trade products in its shops including hand carvings and head-dresses made by women of Kenya. I was equally impressed to learn it supports the local community by promoting and selling Scottish and Glasgow-based products from designers such as Alicia MacInnes and Shirley Pinder and of course there is a variety of Mackintosh products available.

+Cafes+
There is a small coffee cart located in the main hall with limited coffee bar style tables. Here you can get pre=packed sandwiches, drinks, crisps pastries and sweets.

We decided to go to the Café in the basement which is beautifully and tastefully set up in a light atmosphere with seating also available in the conservatory.

It was a "wait to be seated" restaurant and I must admit, it was packed on the day we visited. Having said that, I was extremely impressed by the quick turn-around and high level of service. We waited for roughly 10 minutes for a table and within less than 5 minutes our drinks order had arrived and our meals order taken. This is a bit more upmarket than many museum cafes but was a refreshing change. My 3 year old munched down on a grilled mini chicken breast with homemade (the most amazing chips I have had in a very long time) chips and peas while my partner enjoyed a freshly prepared sandwich on granary with a parsnip and rosemary soup which was fantastic. I was pleased to see my roast beef sandwich arrived without the smell of plastic packaging and instead hinted at being freshly carved only moments before.

All together (2 kids meal, 2 adult meals, an extra chips and 4 drinks) we paid £20.50. This may be a bit more than you would expect to pay for lunch on a day out like this, but it was well worth every penny as the service was great, the food was great and the atmosphere was a treat.

+Toilets+
There are toilets scattered throughout the museum however, I didn't feel that they were sign-posted as well as they could have been. Although there is wheelchair access, I found the facilities small with only 3 cubicles resulting in a lengthy wait. This isn't ideal when you have a 3 year old only potty-trained for a few months previously to contend with.

There were baby changing facilities available in each bathroom (including the men's toilet I understand) and one out of three of the (very stylish) sinks were lowered to allow kids better access.

+Parking+
Parking for the gallery is outdoors and limited. There are plenty of parking meters nearby if you don't mind a bit of a walk however, it is still touch and go as to whether you will have any luck on a busy day. Having said that, if you aren't in a hurry and it is a (rare) dry day, you have the benefit of a beautiful walk through the heart of Kelivngrove Park.

+Accessibility+
Having recently been renovated, the museum is accessible to everyone once inside. With lift access, ramping throughout and generous spacing between most exhibits it is wheelchair/pushchair friendly for the most part.

Where it is a bit difficult is upon entering or leaving the building. Although I can appreciate the need to restore the original feel of the magnificent building I saw many parents struggling with pushchairs on the vast staircase that leads to the front doors. The only other area I saw space as being an issue was within the mini gallery for kids. The displays are sensitively positioned at a more child friendly level and the space is quite limited meaning parents with pushchairs are forced to wait on the outskirts (no more than 6 feet away from their kids at anytime and in plain view) meaning they can't participate as freely with their children.

+++Conclusion+++
This was a fabulous success for the whole family and it felt wonderful to be exposing the kids to something a bit more cultured than Bilco's indoor adventure park or M&D's amusement park. There was so much to take in and with a child or several children it isn't likely you will manage to see everything. I must admit to having been limited to the more "child friendly" exhibitions while my partner had an opportunity to saunter through the other displays on his own.

This is an understandably busy museum which can make keeping an eye on young children more difficult however, many of the visitor's were themselves parents with their kids with them which means amore tolerant and understanding environment.

The displays and the accessibility for kids was phenomenal and the architecture in the building is beyond description. One thing I have always appreciated about Glasgow is the amount of free or minimal cost museums can be found. This identifies a true belief in national heritage which I hadn't previously seen. To have this accessible to everyone is great and can only encourage our kids to learn, experience and grow.

I would strongly recommend this gallery for anyone interested in absorbing some historic culture and art, particularly those with a family.

Summary: An iinteresting day out for all the family