ART

The Ashmolean, Britain’s oldest museum, has put out an urgent appeal for $5.3 million to make up for cuts in government grants. The museum’s director says funds are needed to offset an annual deficit of $158,650 and avoid closing galleries, cutting staff and charging admission. Entrance has been free since the museum opened in 1683. The museum is a department of Oxford University and has collections of antiquities, paintings and armor.