The Annual Fund
The Ashmolean counts as its treasures not only the hundreds of thousands of objects in its collections, but also the 380,000 visitors who come to the Museum each year to deepen their understanding of world cultures and art history.
The Annual Fund provides vital operating support, enhancing the quality and breadth of what we can offer our visitors, and makes a significant difference to the day-to-day running of the Museum.
From the conservation, curatorial research, exhibitions, education and public programmes which are so vital to our mission and our community, to keeping the lights on and the galleries beautifully maintained – gifts to the Annual Fund are put to immediate use, wherever the need is greatest.
Launched in March 2008, our second Annual Fund has raised over £80,000 to date.
To make a gift online to the Annual Fund go to the University Giving Pages and use the drop-down menus to choose Museums and Collections, followed by the Ashmolean.
To find our more about specific areas helped by the Annual Fund, click on the links below:
Exhibitions
The Ashmolean presents an exciting and varied annual programme of exhibitions. Free and open to all, they make our astonishingly rich collections of art and archaeology widely available for study, enjoyment and inspiration. Exhibitions also provide public access to private collections held by the University of Oxford, and by individuals and institutions around the world.
Exhibitions trace ideas and aspirations through the centuries and across continents, explore themes, celebrate accomplishments and shed new light on our world and how it came into being.
Exhibitions: some typical costs
| £75 | frames and glazes one drawing |
| £90 | covers the cost of invigilating and exhibition for a day |
| £150 | lights one painting |
| £400 | provides information panels and labels for a special exhibition |
| £500 | purchases a set of folding stools for visitors to use in an exhibition |
| £1,000 | repaints an exhibition gallery |
| £1,200 | funds an after hours public lecture |
| £5,000 | supplies a wall-mounted showcase to display 3-dimensional objects |
Education and Public Outreach
An integral part of the University of Oxford, the Ashmolean produces scholarship of the highest standard. But our commitment to education extends well beyond the academic community. Every year many thousands of school children participate in gallery activities and handling sessions. Families enjoy workshops and weekend drop-in events. Lectures, talks and study days are offered to adults, while a range of activities is available to visitors with special needs.
Innovative outreach initiatives take the Museum into community centres, schools and hospitals.
Education and public outreach: some typical costs
| £10 | buys a magnifying glass for visually impaired visitors to use in a handling session |
| £50 | stock the Activity Trolley with pencils, sharpeners and activity sheets for a month |
| £150 | funds one ‘Greeks on Tour’ workshop in a local school |
| £200 | pays for a sign language interpreter to work with a group of people with hearing impairments for a day |
| £1,500 | underwrites a public symposium |
| £2,000 | employs an Education Officer for a month |
| £5,000 | supplies all the art materials needed for an entire year of workshops |
Conservation
The Conservation Department analyses, preserves and treats the thousands of objects in its care (approximately 700,000) according to the highest standards of contemporary conservation science and ethics. It places particular emphasis on preventive conservation and manages an ongoing programme of environmental improvement throughout the Museum. It balances this work with object and collections-led research, the supervision of graduate students and the preparation of objects for exhibitions in the Ashmolean and around the world.
Conservation: some typical costs
| £12 | buys a solvent dispenser |
| £100 | purchases 10 sheets of mount board for displaying works on paper |
| £150 | equips the galleries and stores with insect traps for a year |
| £350 | supplies a monitor to measure temperature and humidity in a display case |
| £800 | conserves one painting |
| £2,700 | employs a conservator for a month |
| £5,000 | maintains and services all the humidifiers in the Museum for a year to keep a stable environment in the galleries and stores |
| £7,000 | purchases a high quality microscope |