THE COOPER Gallery is one of six cultural organisations in Yorkshire awarded a share of more than £1.9m from the Arts Council’s Capital Small Grants programme.
Barnsley Museums has received £125,000 to transform an empty cottage at the rear of the Cooper Gallery in Barnsley into an artist studio space, with exhibition areas and a café.
The investment will help to develop digital art forms throughout the studio and courtyard to encourage the development and exhibition of new innovative content.
Coun Roy Miller, a cabinet spokesman, said: “The Cooper Gallery is a cultural gem in the heart of Barnsley. The gallery has an outstanding collection of artwork which is owned by the Cooper Trustees and we are proud to display in the town. We are extremely grateful to the Arts Council for their continued support and the funding to transform the Cooper Cottages will have a huge impact on the Gallery.
“Currently unused space will become a hub of creativity and provide local artists with the opportunity to develop their portfolios.”
Sarah Maxfield, area director north for Arts Council England, said: “The Arts Council’s Small Capital Grants help to ensure that organisations have the right buildings and equipment so that they can continue reaching new and broader audiences, to ensure that everyone is able to access arts and culture.
“I am proud to see that in this round of funding we have been able to give £3.6m to support 11 organisations from across the north to achieve their ambitions to improve how they deliver arts and culture to our communities.”
