The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth was welcomed to Portsmouth Museum on Friday 28 August to tour the newly arranged exhibitions for 'Portsmouth Revisited II' and 'D is for Dodo, E is for Extinct'.
Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery re-opened its doors to the public on Wednesday 12 August after it was awarded the national 'We're Good to Go' standard for putting in place safety measures to meet government coronavirus guidelines.
The Lord Mayor was accompanied by the Lady Mayoress as they enjoyed a new exhibition which charts the history of Portsmouth in art from 1900 to the present day. 'Portsmouth Revisited II' celebrates how the city has evolved and changed since the turn of the 20th century through key works from the city's art collection as well as new acquisitions and donations on display for the first time.
The 'D is for Dodo, E is for Extinct' exhibition explores the fate of several extinct species and British wildlife now threatened with extinction. Centre piece of the exhibition is a very rare Dodo skeleton - one of only 12 in existence. Dodos are an icon of extinction, having been wiped out by humans less than 100 years after they were first discovered. Many of the specimens on show are being displayed for the first time in over a decade.
The Lord Mayor commented: "I'm thrilled to be visiting Portsmouth Museum today and impressed by the lengths the museum team has gone to obtain its 'We're Good to Go' award. The exhibitions were fascinating and gave much food for thought about humans and their relationship with the natural world. I have also enjoyed exploring the city's extraordinary past in the newly-opened 'Portsmouth Revisited II' exhibition. The Portsmouth spirit lives in all of us as we pull together once more to overcome the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. I highly recommend a visit to the museum and these excellent exhibits."
Admission is free and the museum and shop will be open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5:30pm (last entry is at 4pm).
Visitors will be required to wear face coverings and maintain two-metre social distancing inside the museum. Other safety measures include hand-cleansing facilities and staggered entry at busy times. The museum will need to take contact details of visitors and store them temporarily, in case they are needed for coronavirus tracing.
Portsmouth's museums and archives are also collecting contributions to tell the story of how the city has reacted and responded to the coronavirus pandemic. They are calling on local residents to share photographs, pictures, copies of documents, video and audio files that can be recorded in the archive to tell the personal stories of our experiences for future generations. Email collecting.covid@portsmouthcc.gov.uk to make a contribution or find out more about the project.
More information about coronavirus safely measures are available on Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery's website: www.portsmouthmuseum.co.uk or call 02392 834779 for further details.
