Ben Uri Gallery and Museum
Since 2002, this distinctive research based institution’s focus is Art, Identity and Migration.
Our four principal objectives and purposes are:
- to be your first stop for the understanding and comprehensive recording of the Jewish and immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900
- to continue to build the country’s foremost representative collection reflecting the Jewish and immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900 reflecting and supporting our academic purpose
- to continue to develop highly accessible, innovative, up-scalable and cost-effective programming for the growing 70 years plus demographic living in care settings and in their own homes — often in social isolation and with dementia — using our diverse collection as its source
- to further curate and build benuri.org into a pioneering, research based, intuitive, imaginative and accessible digital engagement with a global audience
A fully comprehensive virtual museum and research centre
Until this transformative digital reinvention Ben Uri, like so many small but purposeful institutions, was restricted in its ability to widely engage outside it's locale by the physical limitation of a space and location. This film explains the context of the small and medium-sized museum sector, which represents over 80% of all UK museums, and the rationale and journey in creating benuri.org.
This pioneering full virtual museum and research centre has been designed since 2018 to substitute the large, centrally-located museum building that was, for 20 years and more, our ambition but which constantly proved unaffordable in price and unviable in running costs.
This new, expansive, perfectly located, widely-encompassing, virtual museum has incurred no property costs to buy, build or refurbish; incurs no business rates, utility, security, and maintenance costs. It can be extended at will, with no planning permissions required and no rebuilding costs. It is open 24/7 every day of the year whenever is most convenient for you to visit; there are no social distancing or health risks; no entry fees and no travel costs. We are as accessible to London Ontario, London Arizona, London Island, Chile, as we are to London England. Click here for Press Release.
In response to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, the adoption of digital engagement has accelerated at an unprecedented pace across society and the cultural sector. Post pandemic, the vast majority of institutions have to revert to their core physical-based operating models supported by an enlarged digital presence. Ben Uri, however, will continue to invest in the digital arena as it's primary engagement medium and to further engage through 20 different digital platforms, all of which lead back to this new virtual museum and research centre.
All our programming initiatives and ingredients stem from the imaginative use of our distinctive and growing museum collection, which uniquely represents the Jewish and immigrant contribution to British visual art since 1900.
Ben Uri was founded in 1915 in Whitechapel in the Jewish East End of London, and this new concept — virtual museum and research centre — represents our future in our second century of engagement. From here, we will fulfil our charity objects and generate valuable relationships with you through innovative sharing of our scholarship and research projects, collections, archives, exhibitions, digital catalogues, films, podcasts, schools and family learning, as well as our important, pioneering arts and health institute.
We invite you to explore this virtual museum regularly, as it constantly evolves, with new research, exhibitions, films and much more being regularly added, so you can share in the many unexpected and quality experiences.
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