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Horniman Museum named Art Fund Museum of the Year
31 July 2022
Congratulations to the Horniman Museum, led by Nick Merriman (Honorary Professor, UCL), on being awarded Art Fund Museum of the Year 2022.
The Art Fund Museum Prize, the largest museum prize in the world, has been awarded to the Horniman Museum for their work to inspire the next generation - by reconfiguring their programme in 2021 after the pandemic, Black Lives Matter and the increasing urgency of the climate crisis.
Founded in 1901, the Horniman Museum and Gardens in south London houses nationally regarded collections of anthropology, natural history and musical instruments, as well as an aquarium. The Horniman's transformational 'Reset Agenda', reoriented their activity to reach diverse audiences more representative of London. Activities included engaging people in how to address the climate emergency, establishing a youth panel of teenagers, hosting a very successful music festival celebrating Black British creativity and planting a microforest.
Nick Merriman (Chief Executive of the Horniman Museum), who was presented with the prize at a special event at the Design Museum in London, which was also broadcast on the BBC, indicated:
“We’re incredibly grateful for the support of all of our partners, artists and contributors, staff and volunteers, and to everyone who visited and joined in to make the Horniman such a joyful place to be in 2021."
Nick is a former member of staff of the UCL Institute of Archaeology, leading the creation of a university-wide museum service, before becoming Director of the Manchester Museum and now the Horniman Museum.
The Art Fund is the national fundraising charity for art, helping to protect and enrich the UK’s museum and gallery collections and to ensure as many people as possible can access and enjoy them.