Grant News
Art Fund and Creative Scotland has launched a new UK-wide funding programme, to engage with new and underrepresented audiences with museum collections through collaborative touring exhibitions.
Currently in development, Going Places will establish five networks of small to mid-sized museums. Each network will produce two touring exhibitions over five years (2025-2030), with local communities involved in shaping the themes and outreach programming.
The programme builds on the recommendations of the research report Going Places: Touring and shared exhibitions in the UK, which found that touring exhibitions can be a powerful tool for engaging underrepresented audiences with museum collections.
During an initial research and development phase partners will:
- gain a better understanding of their current and future audiences
- build skills and confidence in collaborating with local communities
- participate in training, skills development and mentoring opportunities
- understand touring practicalities and best practice, particularly in relation to environmentally responsible approaches to exhibition making
- be supported to build networks and relationships with organisations across the UK to research and develop new and innovative displays and outreach activities
Art Fund will be seeking applications from individual museums or networks (which include two or more museums) to participate in the development phase, ahead of Art Fund making an application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the delivery phase in late 2024.
To be eligible for funding, museums must:
- Be located in the UK
- Be a small to mid-sized museum (with an annual income of less than £1 million)
- Have a clear commitment to engaging underrepresented audiences
- Be able to demonstrate the potential for their exhibition to reach a wide audience
Network-building workshops will take place in September and October 2023 (both in person and online), and it is recommended that applicants attend if possible.
Applications will close on the 4th November 2023.
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