The 137-year old Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, which was shut since October 2020, has partially reopened to the public prior to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, that is due to begin in July this year.
Series of exhibitions such as Wonderland, which explored the city’s cinemas, was among the activities exhibited.
Owing to electrical work, the building is set to close again in December, before reopening fully in 2024.
Zak Mensah, one of the museum’s chief executives said they wanted to combine “the old and the new” with the upcoming exhibitions.
“If you are used to seeing traditional art, you’re going to see that but alongside things like a rave club,” said Mensah.
Visitors will be able to see five displays, which are said to bring together themes such as cultural identity, community, and media.
It is claimed that there will be new objects on display and regular live events, as well as space for visitors to join in and contribute.
Alongside the displays at the museum which originally opened in 1885, its Edwardian tearooms will be reopened for visitors.
Mensah said that he would have loved to have been able to open all 40 of the galleries for the Commonwealth Games but said that “electrical works have to happen at some point”.
Birmingham 2022 is set to run from July 28 to August 8.
The Organising Committee has prioritised local communities in its preparations for the Games, having recruited companies from the area in a drive to increase employment opportunities for people in the West Midlands.
