Barnsley Museums@ The Glassworks is a hit on the high street

Barnsley Museums’ twelve-month residency at The Glass Works comes to an end this December, with the project being hailed as a huge hit with residents and visitors.

The project has been successful in redefining high street’s future and has being extremely popular, attracting over thirty thousand people from around the region. 

Exclusive exhibitions by artist such as Graham Ibbeson, who showcased his iconic sculptures for the first time in the display ‘Casting Characters’, attracted new and diverse audiences and the digital space has been an opportunity for young people to experiment and explore new technologies. 

The three units have been a unique opportunity to take Culture out of traditional settings and bring it into the heart of Barnsley’s Town Centre.  The temporary pop-up spaces have highlighted the importance of cultural experiences in making a vibrant and bustling town centre as well as having positive impacts on wellbeing. 

As the innovative and forward-thinking twelve-month project draws to a close, new retailers will take over the units later in the year.

The last few months of the project has brought exciting displays to the town centre, including Brick by Brick, a 20-21 Visual Arts Centre Touring Exhibition by LEGO®. As part of the exhibition there will be LEGO® masterclasses, family workshops, and trails for people to enjoy.

Barnsley Museums will continue to contribute to the high quality and varied cultural offer of the town centre through their permanent venues Experience Barnsley Museums and the Cooper Gallery, and look forward to new and exciting opportunities to showcase the role of culture across the Borough in the future.

The Glass Works continues to thrive and is now 90% let. The recent opening of Cineworld providing a further example of its positive impact on Barnsley’s Town Centre. The demand for space within The Glass Works continues, and Barnsley Council is working with local partners to ensure that they provide an appropriately mixed economy of retail, hospitality and leisure in the town centre in the future.

Councillor Robert Frost, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, said: “Barnsley Museums at The Glass Works has been an incredible way of bringing Culture to the high street.  Through permanent displays, exhibitions, and cutting-edge technology the spaces have been able to tell the story of Barnsley in exciting new ways. We look forward to welcoming new retailers to the ever-evolving Glass Works shopping centre and to the ground-breaking new projects Barnsley Museums have in store.”