York Museums Trust has been granted £200,000 from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Wolfson Foundation to open a brand new exhibition at York Castle Museum in spring 2016.

Shaping the Body will bring together costume, art and archaeology from the collections across York Museums Trust to reveal the many factors that have an impact on body shape across the centuries; from economic circumstances and cultural ideas to technological changes, fashion and diet.

Janet Barnes, Chief Executive at York Museums Trust, said:

“We are thrilled to have been awarded funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Wolfson Foundation to create a brand new exhibition at York Castle Museum.

Shaping the Body is going to be a ground-breaking exhibition, combining some of the most fascinating pieces from across York Museums Trust’s collections to analyse the historical reasons behind how and why body shape has changed.”

Following the success of the First World War exhibition at York Castle Museum, 1914: When the World Changed Forever, Ali Bodley, Senior Curator of History and Archaeology at York Museums Trust, will be curating Shaping the Body.

She said: “Shaping the Body will replace the Cradle to Grave exhibition, which opened in 2000, run through the Kitchen Gallery and replace the Barn Gallery.

The space itself is already fantastic but we will be giving it a refurbishment; cleaning and repairing cases to re-use and utilising the space we already have.

This project has already had an extremely positive response and we are very much looking forward to creating a thought-provoking exhibition that will really engage and excite visitors to York.”

York Museums Trust hopes the £200,000 contribution from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport will be the starting point for this exhibition and hopes to attract further funders and partners interested in working on this exciting project.

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said:

“The Government is committed to supporting the arts and making sure our marvelous museums and inspiring galleries continue to be accessible to all. Thanks to the generosity of the Wolfson Foundation our cultural destinations in communities across the country are going from strength to strength and remain much loved places to visit and explore.”

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation said:

“This partnership between the Wolfson Foundation and DCMS is an exemplar of how a charity and government can work together. We are delighted to be funding so many wonderful projects across the length and breadth of the country. The country’s museums and galleries continue to be an inspiration.”

This round of funding will see £3m shared between 25 museums. The grants, jointly funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Wolfson Foundation, are designed to fund renovation and improvement projects in museums and galleries, to increase access and enhance the display of exhibits.

An interactive map of the museums awarded funding can be found here.