Innovative new project brings a taste of The Fitzwilliam Museum's treasures to Cambridge schools and communities

The Fitzwilliam Museum will be one of the partners in the new ‘MMG artSbus’ scheme, designed to extend the services of leading Cambridge arts organizations to the wider community via a specially designed mobile studio - in the form of a bus.

This bus will be used to bring art, music and science to local schools and youth groups, and will offer free workshops to those communities visited. The project has been co-ordinated by Mari Markus Gomori Concerts for Children, with the MMG artSbus donated and sponsored by Stagecoach and furnishings provided by John Lewis.

The MMG artSbus service, which launches in June, will allow schools and communities to experience The Fitzwilliam Museum’s world-class collection outside of the Museum itself. Members of the Museum’s Education Department will use high-quality reproductions of paintings and offer access to the Fitzwilliam’s online resources, which allow users to explore the Museum’s treasures digitally.

Julia Tozer, Head of Education at The Fitzwilliam Museum, said

"This project is a very exciting opportunity for us to bring a taste of the Fitzwilliam’s vast collection to children and adults, especially if they haven’t yet had the chance to see those objects in the Museum itself. Having glimpsed the range and beauty of the collection, groups will be invited to The Fitzwilliam Museum where they will be welcomed and shown round by that staff member they have worked with on the artSbus."

Other Cambridge organizations who will use MMG artSbus to bring their services to the wider community include the Cambridge Arts Theatre, the Cambridgeshire Summer Music Festival, the Cambridge Festival of Ideas and the Britten Sinfonia.

19 May 2008