A museum dedicated to exploring the environment through art and education has officially opened in Ipswich
The Museum of the Environment (MOTE) launched in the historic Arlington’s building in Museum Street with a public opening event on Friday, August 7.
Visitors were invited to explore the space and view the inaugural exhibition Re-Form by artist Jane Stewart, while enjoying live music from Clacton Arts Centre.Alicia Doel, curator and exhibitions officer at MOTE, said: “It was amazing to finally open the doors and see people experiencing the space.
“There has been so much work behind the scenes to get to this point, so seeing visitors come in, explore the exhibition and engage with what we are trying to create was really special.”
MOTE’s opening marks the beginning of The Shape of Change, an ongoing programme exploring environmental change through contemporary art, exhibitions, talks, workshops, and community activities.
The museum’s first exhibition, Re-Form, explores reuse and transformation through art.
Ms Doel said: “We want MOTE to be somewhere people feel they can come into, discover something new and get involved.
“Environmental issues can sometimes feel quite overwhelming, but art gives us another way of looking at them.
“We want to create opportunities for people to question, explore, make things and have conversations.”
MOTE is housed in the former Ipswich Museum building, which opened in 1847 and has historic ties to natural history and science education.
One of its most notable figures was Reverend John Stevens Henslow, the botanist who famously taught Charles Darwin.
Most recently, the building was Arlington’s, which was listed for sale for more than £850,000 earlier this year.
Jane Stewart’s Re-Form exhibition is the first of several planned events and installations at the location.
Future exhibitions include Beneath the Surface by Zasmina Nedelcevova and MEAT by Sue Gascoyne with MOTE being open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday.
Written by : Oli Picton for the Ipswich STAR