The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, the University of Exeter’s public museum of film and moving image, has been awarded Designation status by Arts Council England.
The designation scheme recognises collections of national and international importance in the UK beyond the funded national museums and promotes the opportunities they offer to both the public and researchers. It covers all the holdings of The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, which is the leading museum of moving image history in the UK.
The museum holds more than 95,000 artefacts, dating from the 17th century to the present day, including historically important items such as an original Lumiere Cinematographe and original prints of the UK’s first panorama, which was shown in London in 1792.
It also offers a people’s history of the moving image, with everyday items that show how the experiences of both audiences and those involved in making moving images have changed our relationship with the screen and the way we see the world
Dr Phil Wickham, the Curator of the museum, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be designated as a collection of national and international importance by Arts Council England. This reflects both the significance of the artefacts we hold in the museum but also the importance of cinema and the optical media that preceded it on people’s lives over the last three centuries. Bill Douglas and Peter Jewell’s vision was that the wonder of moving images could be shared with everyone, and Designation will help us to take this ambition forward into the future.”
The museum was founded from the collection put together by renowned filmmaker Douglas and his friend Jewell, which Peter donated to the University in the 1990s following Bill’s untimely death. Since then, the collection has grown through donations, including large collections of books, film publicity material from organisations or people in the film industry, and film memorabilia or family scrapbooks from members of the public. The museum, which is free and open every day, attracts researchers from all over the world.
Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, said:“The art of cinema has profoundly shaped our lives and the way we view the world, and the way it is made has innovatively adapted as we have as a society.
“The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum’s collection at the University of Exeter is a true ‘People’s History’, running through over 400 years of entertainment history, its social impact, and its role in spotlighting underrepresented stories. Congratulations to all involved for this fantastic achievement.”
You can find out more about the museum at www.bdcmuseum.org.uk
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