Birmingham Museums On Demand gives worldwide digital access to the fascinating stories behind Birmingham’s collections

Birmingham Museums has today launched Birmingham Museums On Demand, a brand-new digital service making the fascinating stories behind Birmingham’s collections available online to watch anytime, anywhere in the world.

While the nation remains in lockdown Birmingham Museums On Demand will allow visitors to not only enjoy fascinating content from the comfort of their own homes it will also help support the future of Birmingham Museums Trust.

From intriguing treasure finds to the stories behind the Pre-Raphaelite collections, captivating closer inspections of paintings to the hidden histories of buildings, Birmingham Museum’s experts will share their insights and stories through exclusive digital content.

Alex Nicholson-Evans, Commercial Director at Birmingham Museums Trust said:

“When many people are still isolated at home and our museums remain closed, Birmingham Museums On Demand is a way of making people feel more connected to Birmingham’s rich and vibrant collections and historic properties.

“We have been determined to find new and different ways to give our audiences opportunities to stay connected and we hope that this new offering will bring inspiration, intrigue and insight”

Birmingham Museums On Demand starts in February with a programme featuring Love, Betrayal, Poison and Death – Part One which takes a look at how artists have been inspired for centuries by powerful stories and strong emotions, and The Bredon Hills Roman Coin Hoard which tells the amazing story of 3000 silver coins that were discovered near an Iron Age hillfort.  Two additional talks: Work by Ford Madox Brown will take a closer look at this painting of Victorian England and The Ice House at Aston Hall will reveal its history, purpose and use.

Viewers can purchase a one-month Birmingham Museums On Demand pass costing £20. Each month a new package of four exclusive talks and lectures created by Birmingham Museums will be released. Both Members and Patrons of Birmingham Museums receive a discount of 25%. All proceeds go towards supporting Birmingham Museums Trust, helping to conserve its historic sites and world class collections.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to impact Birmingham Museums and this new digital service adds to an already packed and varied programme in bringing the museums to audiences online.

Other ways audiences can engage with Birmingham Museums online include a Digital Image Resource where thousands of images from the city’s collection are freely available to view, download and use creatively. A 3D virtual tour gives people the opportunity to visit the permanent galleries of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery online while 360 degree photography and behind-the-scenes videos allows people to see inside historic properties such as Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall and the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter. Art lovers are able to open the doors to their own fantasy art galleries and exhibitions in the virtual online game, Occupy White Walls and there’s a packed online programme of fun, learning activities for families and schools including some amazing Kitchen Science videos to try at home.