The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum has been shortlisted alongside some the UK’s leading attractions for the first time at the Museum + Heritage Awards. They are up for Marketing Campaign of the Year Category for Bash Street’s Back at the McMenace.
The 17th annual Museums + Heritage Awards will celebrate innovative and ground-breaking initiatives from museums, galleries and heritage visitor attractions across the UK and overseas.The Awards shine a spotlight on the diversity of this sector, of museums large and small – from the nationals to one-room volunteer-run museums, from iconic buildings and monuments to the great outdoors. There are 14 award categories.
The awards are judged by a panel of the sector’s leading lights who are united in their quest to seek out the very best of the best. The Marketing Campaign of the Year is judged on creativity, originality and looks at the impact on visitor numbers in scale and reach. The McManus is up against Natural History Museum, Royal Museums Greenwich, The Museum of English Rural Life, Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology for the prize.
In 2018, Bash Street’s Back at The McMenace went on to become the most popular comics exhibition of all time in the UK with 105,769 visitors. This almost doubled the previous highest total of 54K who visited Comics Unmasked at the British Library in 2014. It has also become the most popular temporary exhibition ever held at The McManus. Visits exceeded visitor numbers for previous shows including notable exhibitions at The McManus including Ten Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Titian’s Diana and Actaeon and Roman Empire: Power and People.
Diane Lees, Chair of the 2019 Judging Panel and Director General of the Imperial War Museum had this to say
“Another year of amazing creativity despite the challenges of our sector. The shortlist features projects of great innovation and community focus making the job of judging very difficult.”
Sinclair Aitken, Chair of Leisure & Culture Dundee said
“We are delighted to hear that The McManus has been shortlisted for this prestigious cultural sector award for the first time. Beano Studios were great fun to partner with and this marketing campaign was an excellent example of collaborative working. “
The winner will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony at The Northumberland, London on 15 May 2019.