Crawford Art Gallery has announced the closure date for its upcoming major redevelopment project, Transforming Crawford Art Gallery.

The gallery will close to the public on the evening of Sunday 22 September as confirmed by Director Mary McCarthy. This temporary closure will facilitate an ambitious multi-million euro redevelopment of the Crawford site.

The tender process for the building and renovation works is currently in progress, with a contractor expected to be appointed and on-site by spring 2025. The redevelopment is anticipated to take approximately two and a half years to complete.

The capital project, Transforming Crawford Art Gallery, is set to add:

• 50% of additional space – increased spaces for exhibitions, new state-of-the-art storage for its collection and a new Learn & Explore facility for educational programmes.

• A restaurant facing onto Half Moon Street.

• An entrance restored to the original historic Customs House entrance on Emmet Place, with new landscaping and entrance.

• A new public gallery on the top floor of a five-storey extension offering a birds-eye view of Cork city landmarks.

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• Improved accessibility, lifts and toilet facilities over several floors.

Transforming Crawford Art Gallery is a key component of Project Ireland 2040, undertaken in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, along with the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Following the public closure, staff will remain in the building throughout autumn and winter 2024 to carefully remove the gallery's cherished collection. Many large and delicate pieces will be relocated to secure off-site storage during the redevelopment. As the only National Cultural Institution located entirely outside Dublin, Crawford Art Gallery houses over 3,500 works of art.

The redevelopment designs, the result of years of planning, have been crafted by an interdisciplinary team led by the award-winning Irish firm Grafton Architects.

Gallery Director, Mary McCarthy, said: "Cork is growing, and so too are we. We are excited to be at this phase of our ambitious project, for Crawford and for Cork. Transforming Crawford Art Gallery has been years in the making.

"We have collaborated closely with our design team and the OPW to ensure we conserve the many special elements and qualities of our buildings, while we also expand our spaces to ensure the building is fit for purpose, and sustainable for generations to come.

"We look forward to sharing news of the building works over the next two and a half years, and to delivering an exceptional project here on Emmet Place for all our audiences. We are very grateful to our loyal visitors and champions for their continued support."

Rose McHugh, Chair of Crawford Art Gallery, stated: "This development is extremely good news for Crawford Art Gallery and for Cork. This unprecedented public investment demonstrates confidence in Crawford Art Gallery, Cork city’s cultural heritage, and its future potential. We are very grateful to Minister Catherine Martin and her officials for their deep commitment to the gallery and its future.

"We recognise that the public will miss the gallery during the necessary closure period, but the redevelopment will ensure the gallery can thrive into the future."