Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery has been shortlisted for three Cornwall Heritage Awards, which recognise projects or initiatives making outstanding contributions to preserving Cornwall’s culture and heritage over the course of the past year.

The awards take place at The National Maritime Museum in Falmouth on 19th May, where the museum is in the running for Best Project on a Budget, Heritage Heroes, and Exhibition of the Year. A prized object from the collection, a Hurling Ball, is also up for Heritage Object of the Year; voting is now closed and the winner will be announced at the ceremony in May.

Best Project on a Budget

Up for Best Project on a Budget is the fundraising exhibition, Here & Now. Raising money for the Monday Museum Club for people with mild to moderate dementia, over 60 artists contributed postcard-sized artworks to this exhibition.

Over the course of a few weeks the works were auctioned off anonymously before the artist of each was revealed at a closing party. The project raised over £3,000 to help continue and grow the Monday Museum Club which, using the museum’s unique resources, nurtures connection, independence and a sense of identity.

Heritage Heroes

Meanwhile, our Heritage Heroes come in the form of the incredible volunteers who have helped The Courtney Library survive despite stretches resources. Following the retirement of the librarian after 54 years of extraordinary service, and with the small museum team delivering a major transformation in the galleries, the library was in desperate need of care when a remarkable group of volunteers quietly stepped forward.

Entirely self-motivated, they did not simply help, they took responsibility. Together, Jim, Janice, Judy, Jackie, Jo, Colin & Paul formed a team that kept the library alive while beginning the enormous task of restoring order, care and access.

They organise themselves, support each other, and bring dedication, expertise and patience to work that is painstaking and often invisible. Together, they sustain the library’s daily life, supervise researchers, answer enquiries, and lay the foundations for its renewal. We’re extremely grateful to them and keeping everything crossed they get the recognition they deserve with this award!

Exhibition of the Year

Finally, The Lost Works of Terry Shaul is nominated for Exhibition of the Year. As an ‘Outsider artist’, Terry Shaul’s life and work connected with a diverse audience, who were drawn to the striking yet simple images and intrigued by the raw talent of this undiscovered artist.

The exhibition, which incorporated letters, photographs and personal memories, gave an insight into the isolated, tragic and troubled world inhabited by Shaul. It was a popular highlight for many museum visitors who, encountering Shaul’s work for the first time, found it refreshing and captivating.