Modern Art Oxford is to have a £250,000 facelift.

Work is shortly to start on a project that will create a dramatic new entrance to the gallery in St Ebbe’s Street.

And the scheme will see the existing yard turned into a new art and social space for the Oxford arts centre.

MAO said the redevelopment will create a more prominent and flexible ground floor gallery, while allowing a permanent project space in the museum’s basement for talks, music and other events.

The work will mean the building will be closed from Monday, March 8 to Friday, April 16.

MAO was awarded a £630,000 grant from Arts Council England’s Sustain programme in August. The cost of the work will be covered by part of the Sustain grant.

Under the plan the cafe will become more “fully integrated with the life of the gallery”.

MAO director Michael Stanley said: “Modern Art Oxford brings the world of contemporary arts and culture into the city. We want all our visiotors to have the opportunity to experience our work.

“Creating stronger visibility on St Ebbe’s, improving access, extending opening hours and a commitment to enhancing our evening programme with music, film and performance will reinforce Modern Art Oxford’s role as the centre for contemporary culture in Oxford.”

Over recent months the Modern Art Oxford team has been working with the architects dRMM and artist Richard Woods on plans for the new level-access entrance.

It is viewed as a contemporary take on the idea of a 19th-century arcade, “to bring the street into the gallery and the gallery into the street”.

Woods will be the first commissioned artist and will design a new artwork for the yard, which in the summer will house the MAO cafe.