New gifts inspired by the University of Nottingham Museum collections

The University of Nottingham Museum at Lakeside has just launched a new range of gifts inspired by its own collections. There is a wide selection of products including tea towels, tote bags, pocket mirrors, jewellery, pottery and glass. They are inspired by both local collections of archaeology as well as international archaeological artefacts. Clare Pickersgill, the Keeper of the Museum notes ‘What is so wonderful about these new products is that they are uniquely based on the Museum collections. It’s really fantastic to see how the different designers and makers have used the collections. There is such a wide variety of design and products’ The new range has been sponsored by the Arts Council England as part of the Resilience Fund awarded to the Museum earlier this year. This enabled the Museum to be able to bring a variety of craftmakers into the Museum to produce new collections for its shop. Moreover the collection will continue to develop and grow further. ‘It’s lovely to see which artefacts made by the artisans of the past have inspired today’s contemporary craft makers and how similar the level of skill and craftsmanship are.  I would like to think that if a craft maker from the past was transported into our 21^st Century they would not feel so out of place.’ says Lesley Beale, the Craft Coordinator at Lakeside. This new collection can only be found in the Gallery and Museum Shop at Nottingham Lakeside Arts. www.lakesidearts.org.uk