The Museum of the Home (formerly known as the Geffrye Museum of the Home) recently announced plans to reopen to the public on Saturday 19 September 2020.
Since it released this announcement under embargo on 12 March the situation with Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the UK has changed rapidly, including new health advice from the government released on 16 March.
Following these changes in Government recommendations, the Museum of the Home will continue to closely monitor the situation and any impact it may have on its reopening date. The Museum remains closed to visitors during the redevelopment, but digital channels are live to keep the public informed about its activity and any changes to the planned reopening. Protecting the health and wellbeing of its staff, volunteers, visitors and partners remains a priority to the Museum.
When the Museum of the Home reopens, it will be a place to explore and debate what home means through thought-provoking new displays, temporary exhibitions, performances, discussions and events.
The renovation will double the overall public space for visitors to enjoy, including 80% more exhibition space. Visitors will also discover new learning and event spaces, a Collections Library, cafe, a living green rooftop, and an additional entrance opposite Hoxton station.
Sonia Solicari, Director, Museum of the Home, says: “The Museum of the Home will reveal and rethink the way we live through a dynamic programme of exhibitions, discussions, artist collaborations and events – whether those are experienced on-site or remotely. We will bring to life diverse experiences of home over the centuries, providing a place to consider the ways we have lived in the past in order to explore creative ideas about new ways of living in and looking at the world. This feels particularly relevant at this moment when our home living experiences are constantly shifting due to world events.”
Alongside the physical transformation, the Museum of the Home is shifting its focus from the primarily historical to showcase more contemporary, diverse perspectives. The new Home Galleries will address diverse cultures and religions, styles and aesthetic tastes, domestic gender roles, homelessness and migration, housework and entertainment, and tales of love and loss.
New displays such as Domestic Gamechangers will present everyday objects that have had a radical impact on the way we live today. Personal stories, universal themes and vital issues related to the home will be central to the new exhibition spaces and programme. Many more objects from the Museum’s 400-year-old collections will be on display, bringing to life different experiences of home from 1600 to the present day.
Visitors will rediscover the much-loved Rooms and Gardens Through Time, formerly known as the Period Rooms and Gardens, which show how urban domestic life and gardening have changed over the past four centuries. The Museum will also reveal a new eco-friendly living green rooftop which highlights contemporary urban gardening.
The relaunched Museum will celebrate the heritage and beauty of its home, the 18th-century Grade-1 listed Geffrye almshouses and gardens, by enabling visitors to discover more about their history and the stories of the people who once lived in them through trails, tours and events.
The Museum is now raising the last £530,000 of the total sum needed for its redevelopment. As part of this final fundraising push, the Museum has launched the Sow A Seed public campaign to raise £10,000 to restore its Gardens Through Time to their former glory. Gardening enthusiasts and fans of the Museum can donate via https://shop.museumofthehome.org.uk/.
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