A museum is set to reopen following an extended closure for major improvement works.
Worthing Museum and Art Gallery will welcome visitors once again from Saturday, March 28, after an extensive period of improvement works.
The refreshed museum now features updated galleries and sustainability upgrades, and will reopen with the return of its OPEN exhibition.
Gerry Connolly, head of museums and exhibitions, said: "The museum has always been shaped by its community, so reopening with OPEN26 feels especially meaningful.
"It’s a celebration of local creativity and a reminder that the museum belongs to everyone.
"Alongside improvements to the building itself, we’ve taken the opportunity to rethink how the collections are presented, bringing new attention to the everyday stories that make our collections so distinctive."
Restored interiors now feature heritage paint colours chosen to reflect the historic character of the building.
The museum houses one of the UK’s most significant costume collections, with around 30,000 items.
Other highlights include fine and decorative arts, social history artefacts, toys, dolls and archaeological finds.
The costume collection includes garments worn by Princess Amelia and Queen Victoria, including the latter’s underwear.
This year marks the return of OPEN26, the museum’s open exhibition, which invites artists from Worthing and wider Sussex to submit up to three 2D or 3D pieces.
This year’s theme is ‘Sustainability’, reflecting the museum’s recent renovations and environmental focus.
This year, entry to the exhibition is free, thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Donations to support the museum’s ongoing work are encouraged but not required.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy Another Sussex, a new exhibition created by learning-disabled, autistic and neurodivergent artists from Figment Arts Studio.
The exhibition runs from March 28 to June 21 and explores Sussex folklore through original artworks and large-scale collaborative paintings.
The museum will reopen three days a week initially, with plans to expand to full opening hours in the coming months.
Opening hours will be Thursdays from 10am to 8pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 5pm.
Entry to all exhibitions is free.
For more information about exhibitions, email exhibitions@wtm.uk.
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