Press Release: Hunt Museum Annual Report 2021

25 August, 2022

20.10.21
The Hunt Museum will host “Ride a Flying Fish”, a VR experience that explores The Garden of Earthly Delights, a 500-year-old triptych by the Dutch painter by Hieronymus Bosch from Thursday 21st October until 24th December 2021.

Not only does the VR exhibition give visitors access to a renowned seminal work that resides in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, the experience allows people to feel as if they are stepping inside the intricate painting. Through the VR headset technology, viewers Ride a Flying Fish as they travel through each panel of the Garden of Earthly Delights. The journey begins at the Garden of Eden and proceeds through Earthly Delights before descending into hell.

Pictured enjoying the “Ride a Flying Fish”, a VR experience that explores The Garden of Earthly Delights. At the Hunt Museum Limerick were, TJ Hickey and Caoimhe Doherty, Gaelcholaiste Luimnigh. Picture: Alan Place

Annual Report 2021 Highlights

For our Annual Report 2021 we decided to use a video format to report on our work. Here’s the link.

Highlights from a year that saw another 6 months of the museum building being closed  due to the pandemic include: 

  • the brilliant ‘Museum at Home’ – supporting parents and schools in the education of children during lockdowns; 
  • the delivery of the Hunt Museum in a Garden providing a really wonderful central Limerick public realm space, open 24 hours, 7 days a week for all to enjoy;
  • the Three Muses Joint Education Project with the Limerick City Gallery of Art and the Limerick City Museum which goes from strength to strength in the provision of curricula related content across 3 key Limerick cultural organisations. 
  • the beautiful A Wild Atlantic Way Summer Exhibition and the exciting Ride a Flying Fish exhibition 
  • the continued community engagement thanks to the Docents and Friends and work of many of the staff. 

“The Board notes, in particular, the successes directly resulting from our digitisation programme which commenced in 2018 placing the museum in a good position to shift the majority of its activities to an online platform and stay relevant throughout Lockdown periods. We remain confident that we will be able to deliver on all four priorities of the Strategic Plan and reach our Impact goals of: benefitting less advantaged communities, striving for active participation in cultural heritage, making the region more attractive for tourism and employment and stimulating continued pride in our local heritage. None of this would have been possible without the dedication of the staff of the museum and the support of all Directors of the Board of the Hunt Museum who contribute their time, expertise and interest selflessly. I also extend our utmost gratitude to the former chairperson of the Hunt Museum, Mr. John Moran. John’s vision, talents and passion for the Hunt Museum have positioned it on an extremely ambitious and exciting path and the Board of the Hunt Museum and staff are eternally grateful to John for his time as chairperson.”

Donncha Ó Treasaigh, Chair of the Hunt Museum Board

Financially, the Hunt Museum performed well in 2021, diversifying it’s income streams, with welcome EU grant funding under the Horizon programmes and some additional national and local government grants alongside those of the Heritage Council and the crowdfunding campaigns of Fund a Cobble. It also attracted considerable sponsorship from EU embassies to Ireland, the Department for Foreign Affairs, Technological University of the Shannon and University of Limerick towards the Belonging Exhibition to be staged in 2022. We are very grateful to all of our partners and stakeholders and sponsors for the work and support given over 2021.

Notes for Editors

The Hunt Museum www.huntmuseum.com

The Hunt Museum holds one of Ireland’s greatest private collections of Art and Antiquities from the Neolithic period to the 20th century. Donated by John and Gertrude Hunt to the people of Ireland, this diverse collection is housed in The Custom House, a 18th Century Palladian style building in Limerick.  The Hunt Museum is a centre of learning and civic life that preserves and uses its world class collections to support a greater understanding of our past and to deliver new collaborations and innovation.  Public engagement is key to our approach with a full education programme and wide community participation in all our work. 

Highlights AR 2021

24.06.21.
The Hunt Museum, which exhibits one of Ireland’s greatest private collections of Art and Antiquities, has created an exciting new public space for Limerick. Museum in a Garden takes the Hunt Museum outside its walls to create a public urban garden in the heart of Limerick. The concept behind the garden is to break down barriers to culture and art and encourage greater engagement with the community.

Adding the final touches at the opening of the Museum in a Garden, Hunt Museum Limerick were, Abdullah Ashour, Hunt Museum and Eamonn Rooney, Volunteer. Picture Alan Place.

Last year, The Hunt removed the railings around its green space to create the Museum in a Garden. Conceived as an extension to the museum, the garden will feature seven super-sized sculptures replicating artefacts from the museum. First to be installed is Olmec Man, a Mexican artefact that was digitised by TY students and made into a two-metre outdoor replica using 3D printing technologies with help from ESB, Arup, the Limerick School of Art & Design (LSAD) and Monaru.ie. Picture: Alan Place

24.06.21.
The Hunt Museum, which exhibits one of Ireland’s greatest private collections of Art and Antiquities, has created an exciting new public space for Limerick. Museum in a Garden takes the Hunt Museum outside its walls to create a public urban garden in the heart of Limerick. The concept behind the garden is to break down barriers to culture and art and encourage greater engagement with the community.

Enjoying a game of Chess at the opening of the Museum in a Garden, Hunt Museum Limerick were, Julie, 12 and Tom, 10 O'Sullivan, Mungret Co. Limerick. Picture Alan Place.

Last year, The Hunt removed the railings around its green space to create the Museum in a Garden. Conceived as an extension to the museum, the garden will feature seven super-sized sculptures replicating artefacts from the museum. First to be installed is Olmec Man, a Mexican artefact that was digitised by TY students and made into a two-metre outdoor replica using 3D printing technologies with help from ESB, Arup, the Limerick School of Art & Design (LSAD) and Monaru.ie. Picture: Alan Place

24.06.21.
The Hunt Museum, which exhibits one of Ireland’s greatest private collections of Art and Antiquities, has created an exciting new public space for Limerick. Museum in a Garden takes the Hunt Museum outside its walls to create a public urban garden in the heart of Limerick. The concept behind the garden is to break down barriers to culture and art and encourage greater engagement with the community.

Last year, The Hunt removed the railings around its green space to create the Museum in a Garden. Conceived as an extension to the museum, the garden will feature seven super-sized sculptures replicating artefacts from the museum. First to be installed is Olmec Man, a Mexican artefact that was digitised by TY students and made into a two-metre outdoor replica using 3D printing technologies with help from ESB, Arup, the Limerick School of Art & Design (LSAD) and Monaru.ie. Picture: Alan Place

15.07.21.
Pictured at the launch of the Hunt Museum Summer exhibition, A Wild Atlantic Way was Naomi O'Nolan. Picture: Alan Place

15.07.21.
Pictured at the launch of the Hunt Museum Summer exhibition, A Wild Atlantic Way were, . Picture: Alan Place

20.10.21
The Hunt Museum will host “Ride a Flying Fish”, a VR experience that explores The Garden of Earthly Delights, a 500-year-old triptych by the Dutch painter by Hieronymus Bosch from Thursday 21st October until 24th December 2021.

Not only does the VR exhibition give visitors access to a renowned seminal work that resides in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, the experience allows people to feel as if they are stepping inside the intricate painting. Through the VR headset technology, viewers Ride a Flying Fish as they travel through each panel of the Garden of Earthly Delights. The journey begins at the Garden of Eden and proceeds through Earthly Delights before descending into hell.

Pictured at the Hunt Museum Limerick “Ride a Flying Fish”, a VR experience that explores The Garden of Earthly Delights was Jill Cousins, Director & CEO Hunt Museum. Picture: Alan Place

20.10.21
The Hunt Museum will host “Ride a Flying Fish”, a VR experience that explores The Garden of Earthly Delights, a 500-year-old triptych by the Dutch painter by Hieronymus Bosch from Thursday 21st October until 24th December 2021.

Not only does the VR exhibition give visitors access to a renowned seminal work that resides in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, the experience allows people to feel as if they are stepping inside the intricate painting. Through the VR headset technology, viewers Ride a Flying Fish as they travel through each panel of the Garden of Earthly Delights. The journey begins at the Garden of Eden and proceeds through Earthly Delights before descending into hell.

Pictured enjoying the “Ride a Flying Fish”, a VR experience that explores The Garden of Earthly Delights. At the Hunt Museum Limerick were, TJ Hickey and Caoimhe Doherty, Gaelcholaiste Luimnigh. Picture: Alan Place

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