Successful summer at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery

Early indications from visitor numbers at Highland Council’s Inverness Museum Art Gallery are showing that the facility has received its highest number of visitors over the last 3 years for the month of July.

Over 6500 people visited in July 2010 an increase of 20% visitors for the same month in 2008 (5,400 visitors) and 8% increase on the number of visitors in July 2009 (6,000).

The museum has just completed a popular series of summer crafts events for children and families which were over-subscribed and enjoyed by all who took part.  The museum café and shop are also having a bumper summer season.

Highland Council Curator Catharine Niven said: “This is the best July we have had for the past three years. Local people seem to be re-discovering their museum, and we’ve had many more visitors from abroad this year than recently. Our visitor profile reflects the results of VisitBritain’s recent survey results that ranked Inverness in the top five cities as destinations for foreign tourists.”

A new exhibition opened in the art gallery on Saturday 7 August, Drawing With Scissors, colourful lithograph prints by the artist Henri Matisse, from collages he made late in his life.

For more information on the museum please contact Catharine Niven, Senior Curator, tel 01463 237114 and for information on Drawing With Scissors, please contact Cathy Shankland, Exhibitions Officer, tel 01463 710978.