Further information
Comments
My friends and I spent an idyllic summer afternoon on Sunday following the trail around the city. On our way we came across other groups and individuals doing the same. Everyone agreed that it was well worthwhile and it was interesting to listen to all the discussions-and arguments-that the paintings caused… I would recommend a stroll around these works of art to everyone; they're wonderful - and it's free
Resident of York
Chief Executive's Report
The major strength of York Museums Trust lays in the variety of the institutions we manage, the quality and richness of the collections, and the heritage of the buildings in our care. The Trust has been operating for over 6 years and we have established ourselves as active cultural participants in the city. This year has been a very exciting one as we ventured onto the streets of the city itself. The idea of The Grand Tour in York was originally conceived of by the National Gallery who displayed some 50 reproductions of their paintings in the streets of central London. The idea was moved to York with a twist in that the placement of the paintings related to the location or directly to the history of York. This trail was extremely well received and enjoyed by many non gallery goers.
We also worked with several partners in producing Illuminating York and for the first time the main commission took place in Museum Gardens. Accendo was produced by Ross Ashton and was a spectacular series of images projected onto the walls of the Yorkshire Museum and the Abbey ruins. The two related stories told the story of science and religion and many of the images were taken from the museum collections.
Our work is only possible because of the support we are given by the City of York Council and our other supporters. We are grateful for the on going support from Arts Council Yorkshire whose annual grant makes possible the exhibition programme at York Art Gallery and the artist's commissions at York St Mary's. The contribution from Renaissance in the Regions is increasingly crucial as it underpins much of the development of the learning and curatorial work that is vital in how we develop the public engagement programme.
We are also dependent on trusts and foundations to support our work and a full list is given at the end of this report. We are most grateful to them. However we recognise that we need to concentrate on developing different income sources, including individual and business giving, and the potential of bequests and legacies which we will pursue in the future. To this end we have created a Development Board made up of volunteers who will help us to raise funds to enable us to develop the trust.
Public Benefit
As a charity, and with regard to Charity Commission guidance, the Trustees recognise the Trust's duty to carry out its operations for the benefit of the public. In particular the Trustees consider that the work of the Trust in the last year has advanced the arts, culture and heritage of the City of York and its region for the benefit of a broad audience. The following is a summary of the Trust's significant activities and achievements for the benefit of the public in 2008-09.