State museum to close three years

GEORGE TOWN: The 200-year-old Penang State Museum in Farquhar Street will be closed for three years from April 15 for major infrastructure upgrading works.

The initiative, known as the Museum and Art Gallery Network (MAGnet) costing RM20mil, will be undertaken by the Penang Museum Board and George Town Conservation and Development Corporation (GTCDC).

“The ambitious projects aims to restore and transform the building using highest international standards, befitting Penang’s premier Grade One historical building in the George Town World Heritage precinct, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng when making the announcement in Komtar yesterday.

He said the museum building had not been well restored and upgraded since its inception in 1817.

Lim added the building had been deteriorating due to rising damp, putting the structure and artefacts at risk.

“The renovation is not only to restore a historic icon, but also to create a modern and equipped museum to function as an important cultural resource for the community.

“Upon completion, the museum will house the new, innovative and exciting exhibitions involving the Museum and Art Gallery collections ,” he said.

The current exhibition at Farquhar Street will run for about a month before the museum closes.

The exhibits and artefacts from the museum will be temporarily exhibited at the state museum office in Macalister Road from July.