Glucksman Gallery wins international award for Covid-19 initiative

5 Jan 2021

The Glucksman at UCC is celebrating having won the Best International Museum Award in a virtual awards ceremony hosted by TV personalities, Philip Mould and Kate Williams.

The UK’s Family Friendly Museum awards have been running for 15 years and recognise excellence in activities for young people and this year placed special emphasis on digital activities that we able to go ahead during the pandemic.

The Glucksman was recognised for its 'Creativity At Home' initiative which encouraged creative activities to keep children engaged during lockdown. 

There were over 400 nominations for the awards from all over the world and in July, an expert panel whittled down these nominations to a shortlist of 26 museums. Over the summer, families tested out the activities and their feedback, along with an expert panel, decided the five winners of each category, as well as five highly commended awards.

The Glucksman beat off strong competition from the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh (runners-up), the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Glazer Museum in Tampa, and the National Gallery of Singapore.

Philip Mould, art dealer, broadcaster and Kids in Museums President, said: “It is a pleasure to today celebrate how museums and heritage sites have sprung into action and brought culture to families during this challenging time. Our winning museums have not only helped families with home schooling, but also supported their wellbeing and helped them have fun together. Once again we’ve been shown just how valuable the museum sector is to us all. Many congratulations to all our worthy winners.”

Fiona Kearney, Director of the Glucksman, said: “I’m hugely proud and not a little stunned for the Glucksman to be recognised among such renowned international museums. A huge thank you to Kids in Museums for connecting us to a globally creative community. The Glucksman may be closed due to COVID-19 restrictions but our brilliant team will be online with more Creativity At Home activities in the coming weeks.”

Kids in Museums are a charity dedicated to making museums open and welcoming to all children, young people and families. It supports and champions family friendly organisations through wide-ranging initiatives, including the Family Friendly Museum Award and Takeover Day.