Network
MONEY & MEDALS
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Lichfield Street
Wolverhampton
West Midlands
WV1 1DU
tel: +44 (0)1902 552046
website: www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk
email: claire.whitbread@wolverhampton.gov.uk
Contact details: Claire Whitbread
Date of visit: 23 September 2013
Nature and extent of collection
500 pieces. Wolverhampton Culture, Arts and Heritage seeks to:
• Harness the arts and heritage to stimulate critical thought and debate through exhibitions engaged with current social and political issues, including sensitive and emotive subjects.
• Promote excellent experiences of visual art and craft by presenting outstanding contemporary practice and bringing leading regional, national and international artists/makers to the Midlands.
• Encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to learn new skills and create, responding to our programmes in safe and inspiring environments.
• Support artists /makers throughout their careers by providing high quality exhibition and selling spaces, commission and teaching opportunities, affordable studio spaces, advocacy and development.
• Place arts and heritage at the heart of civic life promoting the city nationally and actively engaging with communities to counter social deprivation and increase prosperity; with the council we promote wellbeing, access, aspiration, and shape the built environment
• Create a dialogue with our collections to foster a sense of our shared heritage and build an outstanding national resource with strengths in Pop, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and historic Japan ware and enamels.
• Develop and utilise wide networks and partnerships to share skills, resources and audiences to extend our reach, enhance the regional arts and heritage offer, and attract new sources of support and income.
• Nurture a reflective organisational culture that enables innovation and adventure, constantly learns from evaluation and adapts delivery mechanisms and approaches.
Collections include:
• Fine art
• British and American Pop Art
• Contemporary British Art works
• The Northern Ireland Colletion
• Contemporary Craft
• 18th Century English Enamels
• 18th and 19th Century Japanned Ware of the West Midlands
• Dolls and Toys
• 18th and 19th Century Ceramics
• Asian Decorative Art
• Elkington Plate and Fictile Ivories
• Glass
• Archaeological Material
• Local History – relating largely to local industry
• Geology
All numbers below are estimated
Roman coins: 91
British coins: 80
British tokens: 300
European coins: 97
Asian coins: 8
American coins: 17
Modern and paper money: 30 coins; 6 banknotes
Medals: 95
Other: 20 money boxes
Specific strengths: British tokens, European coinage, medals.
Library: Around 1500 Books and catalogues relating to collections with an emphasis on art and art history.
Databases
Database used: CALM.
Proportion of collection on database: 100%
How much detail in database entries? Mixed but generally minimal.
Are images incorporated? About 50% of records have images attached.
Is the database accessible to the public? To an extent, but not all records are publicly accessible.
Is the database publicly accessible online? What is the URL if so? Yes there is some public access: http://www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/collections/; http://blackcountryhistory.org/
Display
Are there permanent numismatic displays? No.
Is numismatic material incorporated into more general displays? Yes.
Is there a facility for temporary exhibitions? Yes, the gallery does have regularly temporary exhibitions.
Have there been numismatic exhibitions in the past? If so, what? No.
Access to the collection
Is there a study facility? Yes.
Is equipment (balances, magnifying glasses, etc.) provided? No.
Public engagement with numismatic collection
Is there a handling collection? No.
Are numismatic collections used in Education sessions? No.
Do numismatic collections feature in gallery talks, lectures? No.
Are there other engagement activities based around numismatic collections? No.
ID and public enquiries
Does the museum offer a service for identifying objects and other public enquiries? Yes, but on a small-scale basis by current documentation assistant. Yes.
Curatorial knowledge
Is there any numismatic expertise in-house? If so, who, and in what areas? No.
Is there access to external expertise? If so, who and in what areas? No.
If there is expertise in-house, is there a willingness/capacity to share that with other museums? N/A