Latest news with #KelvingroveMuseum
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow museum plans to loan art for tour in China
Objects which are expected to give an 'exquisite and culturally-rich view' of the visual arts in Italy from 1400 to 1800 could be loaned out to form an exhibition titled 'Prosperous Symphony – Italian Treasures from Glasgow Museums'. The plan is for the first venue, in Shenzhen, to display the items from September this year before they are shown 'in five or six other cities'. They would return to Glasgow in 2028 and could then be displayed in Kelvingrove Museum. The council's city administration committee will be asked to approve the plan on Thursday. 'With a new international strategy, regular trade missions, links between the city's universities, businesses and China and the targeting of a direct air route into the city, the timing to use an exhibition as cultural exchange and the backdrop for other initiatives is now,' a council report states. The report, which is set to be presented by Bailie Annette Christie, SNP, the city convener for culture, sport and international relations, adds the tour will 'leverage more visibility for the city, its businesses, visitor economy, cultural significance and academic institutions'. This could result in 'more awareness of Glasgow in a number of cities across China', it states. Glasgow Life, the council's culture and leisure arm, which Bailie Christie chairs, plans to work with partners across the city to 'take advantage' of the exhibition. The report states Glasgow Airport is targeting a direct China to Glasgow air route to complement two direct flights per week — four in summer — between Edinburgh and Beijing. Ideas to promote the tour include using the University of Glasgow's networks, as it has 9,000 Chinese students as well as alumni who now work in China. Connections through Glasgow's chamber of commerce, which aims to attract inward investment from businesses in Beijing and Shanghai, will also be explored. It is hoped that the exhibition will mean Glasgow contributes to the Scottish Government's drive to 'deepen economic, social and cultural ties with China'. Research by the UK tourist board, VisitBritain, has found Chinese people associate Britain highly with museums, opera and films, the council's report adds. Alongside 33 paintings, the collection includes examples of ceramics, glass, marble sculpture, textile, arms and armour. To promote Glasgow, there would be information about the city within the exhibition. An exhibition of the city's Italian art went on tour to the United States in 2013 and all but one of the paintings and objects have been in storage since. Paintings which were shown in America included Titian's 'Christ and the Adulteress' and Sandro Botticelli's 'The Annunciation', which once hung in the Church of St Barnabas in Florence. A minimum of three tour venues are needed for the exhibition to be economically viable. Glasgow Life would be working with NOMAD Exhibitions on the tour, which has estimated around 100,000 visitors per venue. A three-way agreement with NOMAD and Sun Pavilion Culture and Technology Co, which helps develop exhibitions, would be signed, outlining the responsibilities of each partner. Glasgow Life is expected to receive a fee from each of the host museums in China. In 2023, China was Scotland's fifth largest long-haul international market by number of visits, and fourth by number of nights and expenditure.
The National
3 days ago
- Business
- The National
Glasgow museums' Italian collections to tour China
Objects which are expected to give an 'exquisite and culturally-rich view' of the visual arts in Italy from 1400 to 1800 could be loaned out to form an exhibition titled "Prosperous Symphony – Italian Treasures from Glasgow Museums". The plan is for the first venue, in Shenzhen, to display the items from September this year before they are shown 'in five or six other cities'. READ MORE: Winners announced for oldest book prize in the UK They would return to Glasgow in 2028 and could then be displayed in Kelvingrove Museum. The council's city administration committee will be asked to approve the plan on Thursday. 'With a new international strategy, regular trade missions, links between the city's universities, businesses and China and the targeting of a direct air route into the city, the timing to use an exhibition as cultural exchange and the backdrop for other initiatives is now,' a council report states. The report, which is set to be presented by Bailie Annette Christie, SNP, the city convener for culture, sport and international relations, adds the tour will 'leverage more visibility for the city, its businesses, visitor economy, cultural significance and academic institutions'. This could result in 'more awareness of Glasgow in a number of cities across China', it states. Glasgow Life, the council's culture and leisure arm, which Bailie Christie chairs, plans to work with partners across the city to 'take advantage' of the exhibition. The report states Glasgow Airport is targeting a direct China to Glasgow air route to complement two direct flights per week — four in summer — between Edinburgh and Beijing. Titian's Christ and the Adulteress is another famed Italian painting currently residing in Glasgow that could be headed on the road (Image: Glasgow Museums) Ideas to promote the tour include using the University of Glasgow's networks, as it has 9,000 Chinese students as well as alumni who now work in China. Connections through Glasgow's chamber of commerce, which aims to attract inward investment from businesses in Beijing and Shanghai, will also be explored. It is hoped that the exhibition will mean Glasgow contributes to the Scottish Government's drive to 'deepen economic, social and cultural ties with China'. Research by the UK tourist board, VisitBritain, has found Chinese people associate Britain highly with museums, opera and films, the council's report adds. Alongside 33 paintings, the collection includes examples of ceramics, glass, marble sculpture, textile, arms and armour. To promote Glasgow, there would be information about the city within the exhibition. An exhibition of the city's Italian art went on tour to the United States in 2013 and all but one of the paintings and objects have been in storage since. READ MORE: Met Police silent after unlawful seizure of pro-Palestine journalist's property Paintings which were shown in America included Titian's 'Christ and the Adulteress' and Sandro Botticelli's 'The Annunciation', which once hung in the Church of St Barnabas in Florence. A minimum of three tour venues are needed for the exhibition to be economically viable. Glasgow Life would be working with NOMAD Exhibitions on the tour, which has estimated around 100,000 visitors per venue. A three-way agreement with NOMAD and Sun Pavilion Culture and Technology Co, which helps develop exhibitions, would be signed, outlining the responsibilities of each partner. Glasgow Life is expected to receive a fee from each of the host museums in China. In 2023, China was Scotland's fifth largest long-haul international market by number of visits, and fourth by number of nights and expenditure.
Scotsman
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Kelvingrove organist's remarkable achievement is well worthy of praise
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... On October 22, 1969, the song Sugar Sugar by The Archies had just gone to number one in the charts. However, if you had gone into Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on that day, you would have witnessed the first official performance by a rather different but very special musician. He did not know it then, but organist Bill Hutcheson would go on to play regularly at the Glasgow venue for the next 56 years and he has now been presented with a commemorative plate in recognition of his service. Sixty years ago, he had been allowed to try the organ. Fifty years ago, he played during celebrations of the city's 800th anniversary and yesterday he played at an event marking its 850th. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Organist Bill Hutcheson has played the organ at Kelvingrove Museum regularly since the 1960s (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images Hutcheson said the organ had become 'like an old friend, capable of anything from a whisper to a roar' and praised his audiences for being 'open to everything, from Bach to swing to the unexpected'.
Glasgow Times
09-05-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow Council's £32m bill after equal pay settlement
Agreements were reached on pay claims with mainly female workers who have been paid less than men in equivalent roles. They were funded by a deal which saw 17 buildings, including the city chambers and Kelvingrove Museum, sold to an arms-length body and then leased back. An external audit report for 2023/24 states the annual rent payable by the council for all 17 sale and leaseback properties is now £32.1m plus annual inflation. Council leader Susan Aitken said it is the 'price of justice, and it is a price worth paying' — but it 'creates challenges' for the local authority. The council still needs to roll out a new pay and grading structure to end pay discrimination. It had hoped to implement the structure by the 'latter part of 2024/25' but this was delayed and a new date hasn't been set. Auditors recommend the council set a new date to provide 'certainty' to staff. It is understood there is an expectation it will be introduced within this financial year (2025/26). Cllr Aitken said it is 'complex and challenging to replace a previous pay and grading system which had sex discrimination baked into it and replace that in now a context where many of the job roles in the council are very different to they were a decade ago or five or six years ago'. READ MORE: Council urged to set new date to resolve long-running pay issue 'I am very confident we can point to our record of addressing the challenge of equal pay since 2017,' she added. 'I think it has been exemplary, it has been incredibly difficult.' The council is handling its equal pay issue 'considerably better' than other local authorities in the UK, the council leader added. Pay claims have been settled up to October 15, 2023 — the effective date for the introduction of the new pay and grading structure — but workers will receive backdated payments for the period between that date and the implementation of the structure. The council settled over 15,000 claims with staff who had been paid unfairly in 2019, funded by a deal worth over £500m which saw 11 buildings, including the Riverside Museum and Emirates Arena, sold to an arms-length body then leased back. That deal related to claims submitted before an agreed cut-off date of March 31, 2018. Another agreement, worth over £200m, for other claims, including after the cut off, was reached in November 2022. The funding strategy involved the further sale and leaseback of six properties, including the city chambers, Kelvingrove Museum and the Gallery of Modern Art. The audit report stated the council made payments of £257.8m in 2023/24 in respect of equal pay settlements and 'in order to prevent future liabilities, the council must implement a revised pay and grading structure'. Ernst & Young LLP's report was presented to the city administration committee on Thursday, sparking a row over equal pay. READ MORE: Business owner hits out at silence over Celtic title party Cllr Elaine McDougall, Labour, said: 'I just feel that this is the second year on the trot that we have a damning report under this administration. I just feel you have taken your eye off the ball.' Council leader Susan Aitken said that was 'an unfortunate interpretation of an audit report which is addressing issues such as pay and grading, which is a direct consequence of the pay discrimination put in place by previous administrations' and 'sustained through the courts'. Cllr McDougall said the SNP had also 'agreed to the legal advice' that the previous Labour administration had received. Labour's new deputy leader, Cllr John Carson, said there are 'numerous local authorities that are facing issues with equal pay across the UK, including Dundee which was run by the SNP'. He added they were 'dealing with an issue about social injustices faced by women in the workplace'. 'It is absolutely right that we solve that, but there has to come a point where this administration stops using the crutch of the women workers' wages to mask its own decision-making. 'If the council is just run on automatic, please do point that out to us, because you have to take responsibility for something at some stage.' New Glasgow Labour leader Rashid Hussain asked officials whether there was a planned delivery date for the new pay and grading system. He was told: 'When we are in a position where we are ready to come back to committee with a timetable for how that will be taken forward then we will absolutely do so.'
The Herald Scotland
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow Science Festival set to celebrate city's 850th anniversary
This year's events are united by the theme 'Glasgow Celebrates', which recognises the 850 years which have passed since the city received the status of Burgh in 1175. Researchers from the city's universities and beyond are set to join artists and musicians, and representatives from leading charities to welcome audiences to iconic locations including the Botanic Gardens, the Riverside Museum, and Kelvingrove Museum. Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of the West of Scotland, and the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde will also host events on their campuses. Glasgow's 33 libraries will play a part in this year's programme, with displays of STEM-related books planned for the duration of the festival. The Smart Play Network's PlayTalkRead bus will also bring science-focused fun aimed at children up to four years old to five libraries across the city, and Glasgow University's Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC) will host three special themed evenings exploring 'The Art of Science', 'The Sound of Science' and 'A Body of Science.' Each evening will bring science to life with live music, virtual reality displays, hands-on demonstrations, and more. READ MORE: Craft beer festival returns to Edinburgh's historic Grassmarket Edinburgh Festival Fringe warns world-famous event is being 'taken for granted' Popular Scottish music festival announces first acts for 2025 The Festival's online Science on the Sofa programme, established during covid lockdowns when in-person events were not possible, also returns with a collection of videos and activities which can be enjoyed from home. Dr Deborah McNeill, of the University of Glasgow, is director of the Glasgow Science Festival. She said: 'This year's programme is our most jam-packed ever, expanding to new venues and bringing in a widened range of events, shows and presentations. 'We have more than 75 events in the programme, including film screenings, stand-up comedy, music shows and tours of the city. Our ever-popular activity days are returning to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens and the Riverside and Kelvingrove Museums, featuring hundreds of hands-on activities and demos from researchers, who will be on hand to chat about their work. We'll also be going on the road to being science to more people, with appearances at the Govan Fair and activities with local schools. 'We're excited to be joining people across the city to celebrate both our scientific present and the city's historic past during this 850th anniversary year." The festival's theme is reflected in a series of events which take inspiration from the city's historic coat of arms. The festival's popular activity days are set to return to city locations with dozens of family-focused events, many linked to the festival theme. At the Riverside Museum, from June 5-15, visitors can see sound waves with slinkies, control robots, and even witness sound waves being used to levitate objects, courtesy of scientists from the University of Strathclyde. At the Glasgow Botanic Gardens from June 6-15, visitors can enjoy an introduction to planting with the Friends of the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, listen to their blood flow with scientists from Glasgow Caledonian University, discover fish personalities with 'Fishing for Answers' and see how birds fly with 'Let Science Flourish', both with University of Glasgow researchers. On June 7 and 8, the Kelvingrove Museum will host 'Tree of Life' and 'Music in Parks' from researchers at the Open University. The Glasgow Science Festival is supported by funding from the University of Glasgow and the Scottish Government. Minister for Business Richard Lochhead said: 'Scotland's science festivals help to inspire the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs by bringing STEM subjects to life, making them accessible and entertaining for all ages. 'Glasgow University's programme for 2025 is an impressive celebration of science in a special year for the city as it looks back on its history. The Scottish Government's ongoing support for Glasgow Science Festival is a testament to the creative ways it supports learning and our ambitions for Scotland to be a home of innovation well into the future.' For more information on this year's events, visit to see the full programme.
