Purpose

This decision relates to the approval of three
loan requests for items in the Ipswich Borough
Council museum collections. The loans to The Minories and the Sainsbury Centre are new requests
and that to Woodbridge Museum is a renewal of an existing loan
first made in 2013.
 
Reason for Decision
The Minories,
Colchester (IPSMG: LO.2025.06)
Loan commences: 5 January 2026 Loan ends: 24
February 2026
Exhibition dates: 7 January 2026 – 22
February 2026
 
Prunella Clough (1919-99) ‘Sweetpack’, 1988, oil on canvas (IPSMG:R.2000.19.2) This work is requested for The
Minories winter exhibition
‘Anglian Abstract’ which takes as its starting point a
painting by Margaret Mellis (1914-2009) ‘Lilac Yellow’
in the Victor Batte-Lay Foundation collection held at The
Minories. The exhibition celebrates the
legacy of modernism in East Anglia through the work of twelve
contemporary artists working in abstraction. These artists reflect
the enduring impact of modernism and its evolution in contemporary
art. The requested painting is currently in store and has not been
out on loan for many years. The Minories is a very significant regional arts venue
housing a significant art collection. This loan builds on the
present close working relationship and supports the possibility of
a reciprocal loan in due course.
 
Woodbridge Museum (IPSMG: LO.2025.05)
 
Loan commences: 5 January 2026 Loan ends: 1
January 2029
 
Exhibition dates: As above
 

1.   
‘William Draper of Woodbridge’ mug, transfer printed
blue and white decoration, earthenware, dated 1812 (IPSMG:R.1926.8)

2.   
‘The Peace of Europe’ mug, transfer printed and
polychrome painted, earthenware, dated 1814, made in Bristol
(IPSMG:R.1945.97B.153)

3.   
Large iron grapnel type anchor found in River Deben, at
Debenham’ (IPSMG:R.2025.29)
 
These items have previously been on loan to
Woodbridge Museum and are currently on display. Two of the items
relate directly to the Woodbridge area and there are no current
plans for display for any of the requested items at an Ipswich
Museum venue. This loan supports a Suffolk Museum relatively close
to Ipswich and forms part of the wider support offered to the
county’s museum.
 
Sainsbury Centre, UEA (IPSMG:LO.2025.3)
 
Loan commences: 27 April 2026 Loan ends: 23
October 2026
Exhibition dates: 16 May – 4 October
2026
 
‘Playing soldiers’ Colin Moss
(1914-2005), 1978, oil on board (IPSMG:R.1982.46) This work is requested for a
temporary exhibition ‘The Power of Play’. As part of a
season on ‘What is the Meaning of Life?’, it will
explore the concept of play in human cultures, examining its
social, political, and cultural dimensions. By doing so, it aims to
prompt visitors to reflect on the broader significance of play
– whether in children or adults, whether recreational or
ceremonial. ’The Power of Play’ seeks to demonstrate
that, regardless of age or context, humans play because it is
enjoyable – a universal and fundamental aspect of human
experience. Ultimately, it asks how play is integrated into our
lives, and whether we would live a more meaningful life if play
were more central to our daily lives.
 
Ipswich Museums have lent to the Sainsbury
Centre on several occasions in the past without any issues. This
prestigious venue provides an opportunity of bringing the
collections of Ipswich Borough Council before a wider public. The
work requested is not required for exhibition at either Ipswich
Museum, Christchurch Mansion or the Ipswich Art Gallery during the
period of the loan and is currently in storage.

Decision

To approve the 3 loans.
 
Reason:
To build on working relationships with other
museums and to allow for the Ipswich Borough Collections to be seen
by the wider public.