The funding specifically contributes to the creation of the new exhibition in the American Air Museum and to enhancing the quality of the interpretation of the objects on display.
The American Air Museum was built at IWM Duxford in 1996-7 to present the best collection of American military aircraft on public display outside North America. The American Air Museum tells the story of American air power and the integral relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.
It also stands as a memorial to the approximately 30,000 US airmen and women who were killed while serving from Great Britain during the Second World War.
The heritage presented in the American Air Museum has a relevance to everybody living in Britain, particularly people in the East of England. Our aim, in redeveloping the American Air Museum, is to inspire people to relate the objects in the museum’s collection to their own lives and to the world in which they live.
IWM Duxford says: "With assistance from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Fund, we’ll be re-energising the American Air Museum to ensure that it is impactful for the next generation of visitors.We’ll be helping our audiences to understand the co-operative relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, which was forged during the First World War and the Second World War and which has shaped the modern world ever since.
"We’ll be displaying our key objects in new ways and redeveloping our existing displays, which will help visitors see our museum objects in a new light. We’ll be placing a greater emphasis on the individual stories of war and conflict which show events froma range of personal perspectives. A programme of research and interviews with veterans will provide material to support the new displays."
The exhibition will be brought up to date with material covering the last two decades of conflict and the political context of that period.
Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said:“The Government is committed to supporting the arts and making sure our marvellous museums and inspiring galleries continue to be accessible to all. Thanks to the generosity of the Wolfson Foundation our cultural destinations in communities across the country are going from strength to strength and remain much loved places to visit and explore.”
Diane Lees, Director-General, Imperial War Museums said: “I am delighted that the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund has supported the American Air Museum redevelopment. As the events of the first half of the twentieth century start to fall out of living memory, it is vital that we offer visitors an immersive interpretive experience to help them to understand, and emotionally connect with, the objects displayed in the American Air Museum and the historical events they represent.”
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation said: "This partnership between the Wolfson Foundation and DCMS is an exemplar of how a charity and government can work together. We are delighted to be funding so many wonderful projects across the length and breadth of the country. The country's museums and galleries continue to be an inspiration."
The redevelopment of the American Air Museum exhibition is one of three elements of the American Air Museum project. The creation of the American Air Museum website – www.americanairmuseum.com – and the continuation of the American Air Museum Summer Residency learning programme are also integral elements of the redevelopment project.
From today (Monday 2 March), the American Air Museum will close to the public so that redevelopment work can commence.
From the beginning of May, visitors can get up close to some of the iconic US aircraft from the American Air Museum in new locations across IWMDuxford.
The American Air Museum will reopen in spring 2016.
Find out more at iwm.org.uk/duxford and at www.americanairmuseum.com