People living in Bath and the local area will soon be able to view all exhibitions at the Victoria Art Gallery for free, with discovery Cards being be accepted at the gallery from Saturday 7th March.
Jon Benington, Gallery Manager said: “It’s great news for the arts in Bath and for local art lovers, who will be able to visit our exhibitions as often as they choose.
“Admission to our Permanent Collection is already free but now local people will be able to view our temporary exhibitions free of charge as well.”
The extension of the scheme to the art gallery coincides with the start of the new Beryl Cook: Intimate Relations exhibition.
The show covers the whole of Beryl’s career, from her first painting, ‘Hangover’, to her last painting of ‘Tommy’ in 2008.
Some of these oil paintings have never been seen in public before and there will be a special, 250 limited edition print of a very amusing picture titled ‘Bowling’ for sale.
Cllr Ben Stevens (Lib-Dem, Widcombe) Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development said: “The Gallery already welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a year, we hope the extension of the Discovery Card scheme will encourage even more people to view the wonderful collections on show.”
The Residents’ Discovery Card is available to adults age 17+ and children age 14+ living in Bath & North East Somerset.
Valid for 3 years, it can be used to gain free admittance to the Heritage sites of the Roman Baths, the Fashion Museum and now the Victoria Art Gallery.
To apply for a Discovery Card, residents should take their Council Tax form and one other proof of local residence to the Council Connect One Stop Shop, 1-3 Manvers Street, the Roman Baths main entrance hall, the Civic Centre in Keynsham or the Hollies in Midsomer Norton.
The Victoria Art Gallery is open from Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 1.30 – 5pm.
Entrance charges for temporary shows in the large gallery will only apply to those who do not qualify for a residents’ Discovery Card.
