Moyse’s Hall Museum has experienced its busiest June on record despite footfall restrictions. The exhibition, Moments, which includes originals by Banksy, Hirst, Emin, My Dog Sighs, Connor Brothers, Pure Evil and many more, saw c6000 people in the first 4 weeks of opening and a rise in school bookings.
Rage, The Flower Thrower by BanksyPeople have travelled from all over the country, including the Scottish Highlands, visiting Suffolk for the first time and seeing what we have to offer. Press coverage has been nationwide. Moments is in some ways a test to see if we can break from traditional methods of loaning in ‘big named’ pieces en masse while not requiring huge courier fees, funding bids or hire costs. We’ve instead negotiated a business arrangement which should keep all sides happy. A completely new look to the galleries was covered by exhibition sponsors, including new lighting to the Great Hall. Moments is by far the biggest exhibition we’ve created, choosing to expand from our usual 1 – 3 gallery displays to 5 areas showing 120 pieces by 23 artists.
Kate Moss Record by Damien HirstNext up for us is a look at our 17th Century Mary Beale portraits with loans from the Bodleian and Gainsborough House supporting our collection of her works. ‘Observations’ opens in October. Alongside this core-collection driven display there will also be a celebration of artefacts contextualising this incredible artist.