Local Museum & National Museum (Exhibition loans)
Partners: F.E. McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge and Ulster Museum
The F.E. McWilliam Gallery & Studio opened in Banbridge, Co Down in September 2008.
The purpose of the Gallery is to celebrate the life and work of Banbridge born sculptor
Frederick Edward McWilliam (1909 - 1992) and it houses the contents of McWilliam’s Studio
of which Banbridge District Council is the custodian.
Since opening in 2008, the Gallery has hosted twenty fine art and design exhibitions. For five
of those exhibitions, the Gallery has borrowed works from the Ulster Museum, Belfast. The
loans were of sculptures, paintings, fine art prints and drawings relating to the particular
exhibition.
To borrow works from the Ulster Museum the Gallery has to notify the Registrar at least
three months in advance. This is to allow for the work to be examined by conservators and
permission sought from the appropriate committee.
For the first exhibition, McWilliam in Banbridge a conservator accompanied the works on
paper to ensure that they were hung correctly and appropriate light levels established. Until
very recently, one of the works, a Portrait Bust of William Scott by F.E. McWilliam,
remained in the Gallery. After the Scott exhibition in the Ulster Museum it is hoped that the
sculpture will return on long term loan to the Gallery.
In early 2009 a Gallery and Studio Programming Committee was established to support the
Curator at the F.E. McWilliam Gallery with the scheduling of exhibitions. This committee has
representation from the Ulster Museum allowing for planning and communication between
both organisations.