Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre — Attraction in Bury

Disappointing is an understatement, is it a gallery? A cafe? What? Hardly any information (some information which is completely incorrect), no direction, no categories, just abit of everything everywhere. I completely understand that "Art" is subjective, however photograghs of what you will find in any cookbook on the walks is hardly engaging. A very poor attempt at an art gallery. I did happen to find some amazing pieces however some had posters dotted in front of them and some are shoved in the museum. One painting in particular is "Icarus falling on bury job centre" a beautiful painting by local artist Maggie Lea. No information about the painting? What it represents to the artist? Nothing! Then again that follows with every painting in there. Down in the apparent museum if you can dare call it that? Feels like you are stepping into a trendy phone shop. Graffiti littering the walls, again little if no direction, no information. I would love to know why the extremely small cupboard under the stairs has been given to Sir Robert Peel, I would have thought learning about a famous priminister would have been front of stage??? you would probably learn more reading the information dotted on the walls in the Peel pub. Actually the pub has more content and information about his younger years, his years in politics, where he lived etc. Non of which found where you'd expect to see it. The items on exhibit are some what intriguing although there is no information to why they are there, no story again and I'm starting to feel like a broken record.... no nothing. You can walk in and walk out without learning anything new. Bury has a tremendously rich history! We have a castle! The dig of which used to be exhibited years ago and now has disappeared??? We have statues commissioned by famous sculptures. We have had inventors of revolutionary mechanical engineering. The Whitehead family history alone could fill that tiny room.

Bury art gallery and museum, give your head a wobble and do better because what you currently trying to exhibit is dull, uninteresting and a smear on what once a brilliant Art...

Bury Art Museum is a public museum and art gallery in the town of Bury, Greater Manchester, northern England, owned by Bury Council.

Formerly known as Bury Museum and Art Gallery, it was renamed Bury Art Museum in 2011.

The museum is home to the Wrigley Collection, an assemblage of over two hundred oil paintings, watercolours, prints and ceramics accumulated by the Victorian paper manufacturer Thomas Wrigley (27 June 1808 – 26 January 1880). The collection includes works by Turner, Constable, and Landseer. The donation of his collection to Bury was the impetus for the foundation and construction of the museum and art gallery. The building was designed by the Manchester firm of Woodhouse and Willoughby. Donations of artworks quickly followed its opening on 9 October 1901 by the Earl of Derby, including donations from the town's Member of Parliament James Kenyon.

In 2005, a £1.2 million refurbishment was carried out, designed to provide a brand new museum, art gallery and library all under one roof. This includes a combined Museum and Archives Centre which, based on a radical re-think, uses artefacts, documentation and art to tell the story of the town.[2] The most recent renovation includes modern artefacts such as iPods and electric iRobot vacuum cleaners.

The council decided in 2006 to sell Lowry's painting The Riverbank at auction in order to fund part of its social services budget shortfall. This has resulted in the government's Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) removing Bury Council's accredited museum status. The authority will now have limited funding options and will be ineligible for...

Overall a lovely experience . For inclusion and accessibility it's great that entry is free .

The building itself is magnificent and a number of art works within are grand too. Good to see the more modern pieces so that art isn't fixed but evolving and dynamic .

The ( local history) museum section is rather nice, if small . I think I'd liked to have seen a section on the religious heritage of the town especially Jewish influence .

Great shop and art shop I thought .

Tearoom is presently closed until new franchise . I hope this will be awarded soon and well-marketed to get people into the gallery and the teashop.

Reasonable toilets if a bit limited on space .

I asked a number of people where the gallery was in the town. None knew. The gallery would do well to find more strategies to reach local residents and target groups to maximize connection with the gallery and it's treasures. I suspect the life drawing advertised is a step in that direction.

Similarly, I thought the staff were hard work to engage with and lacking in warmth to guests, though helpful and efficient .

Overall, a pleasant visit and if I happened to be in Bury again I'd probably visit a 2nd time ( after a visit to Jolly Roger for food where the staff were warm and customer facing from which the gallery could learn ) .

If you're local, do support this gallery and museum . It has...