Dear Friends,
I’m writing out of love for the culture of Ancient Egypt, and to bring your attention to a special museum’s critical need: the planned rebuilding of the Petrie Museum of Egyptology, in London, England. This venerable institution has long been deeply involved with public education about AE, following the philosophy that museum collections should be readily and directly accessible to Egyptology students and general public alike. Unfortunately, the collection of 80,000 objects is in deteriorating, overcrowded conditions -- the roof leaks in thirteen places and blocked drains flood each year – which makes the Museum’s mission increasingly difficult to fulfill.
What is hoped for, what is planned, are three galleries, each designed to afford easy, visible access to the entire collection, which spans from the Palaeolithic period to the 20th century A.D. and contains every type of object known to have existed in Ancient Egypt. Also at risk is the Museum’s substantial archive of notebooks, correspondence, diaries, photographs and watercolors that relate to the collection. According to Sally MacDonald, director of the Petrie Museum, each of the three planned galleries will cost some $3,750,000 to construct, and the majority of the funds must be raised by this December.
And therein lies the rub. Real estate in London is at a premium. In order to make this dream a reality, the Petrie Museum now needs the financial contributions of Egyptophiles worldwide, and the majority of the needed funds must be raised very soon.
To make a donation for this purpose, interested persons and parties should contact Sally MacDonald, Director, The Petrie Museum of Egyptology, University College London, Malet Place, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom. Telephone +44-20-7679-2825. E-mail: sally.macdonald@ucl.ac.uk. U.S. donors can make tax-deductible gifts through University College London Friends and Alumni Association (UCLFAA, Inc.).
For more information about the Museum, go to: Petrie Musuem. For an in-depth article on the plight of the Petrie collection and plans for its new housing, please see the Fall 2005 issue of KMT magazine, now out at booksellers & newsstands.
I’m urging you, as a member of AW, to express your love for old Kemet and send whatever you can. If you have friends who love Ancient Egypt, or are part of an organization, “real-life” or on the Internet, whose members may be interested in donating towards the new Petrie Museum, please pass this plea on. Every little bit helps: let’s honor the culture we love by helping preserve its greatness!
~Anpua Thutmose
