Proposals have been revealed for a new gallery to be implemented at Amersham Museum.
Funded by the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust, plans to create the new section of the building will begin before the end of this calendar year, with it due to open in the Spring of 2024.
The new gallery will feature a changing exhibition programme, which will include art made by people in the past, by local contemporary practitioners, and by groups working with the museum.
READ MORE: Buckinghamshire's big cat sightings mapped - see the reports near you
Additionally, the gallery will be named after the Vienna-born artist, Marie-Louise von Motesiczky (1906-96), who came to Amersham with her mother after arriving in Britain in 1939 to escape persecution in Austria.
Chair of the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust, Frances Carey, said: “Amersham was Marie-Louise’s real introduction to Britain.
“She and her mother Henriette bought the house Cornerways, at 86 Chestnut Lane and maintained close ties with the area until 1960.
“Marie-Louise continued painting throughout the War, returning often to visit her mother and use her studio at Cornerways, even after she rented a flat in West Hampstead from 1948 onwards.
“Local people, friends and relatives who visited Amersham, and views of the garden were among her subjects, so it is entirely appropriate that she and her work should have a permanent place in Amersham.”
The plans will include works that have not been seen before or made by people whose work has been overlooked or underrepresented, as well as objects from the museum’s collection.
From spring 2024, the new gallery will be supported by a community learning and outreach programme, that will provide opportunities for people to make their own responses to the works on display.
Amersham Museum’s director, Briony Hudson is delighted about the project: “We are excited by this opportunity to tell new and different stories in the museum, inspired by listening to what local people want to know and see.”
READ MORE: Google celebrates High Wycombe raised Dusty Springfield
The museum is keen to talk to local people about how the space could support their needs and showcase work made by local individuals or groups.
To share your thoughts or to get involved in the project as a volunteer contact, email info@amershammuseum.org.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here