Museum collections to tour in epic UK-wide collaborative project with 40 unique exhibitions
Art Fund is launching Going Places, a landmark £5.36 million exhibition programme that will see 20 museums and galleries across all four nations sharing their collections in the largest collaborative touring project of its kind.
Six museum networks spanning the breadth of the UK – from Edinburgh to Penzance, Lisburn to Carmarthen – will co-create 12 major touring exhibitions over the next five years, taking the UK’s collections on an epic journey that will result in 40 unique exhibitions made with and for local communities.
Local communities will be invited to explore collections not currently on display, hand-picking artworks and objects to feature in touring exhibitions. By collaborating with contemporary artists and craftspeople, participants will also co-create new works inspired by local histories and landscapes. Personal items and collections will be contributed for display in exhibitions, with community members sharing their own stories and offering fresh perspectives and interpretations.
The largest investment of its kind in the UK, Going Places has been supported by landmark grants with £2.86 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £1.5 million from the Julia Rausing Trust. Alongside this generous support, Art Fund is continuing to fundraise to reach the full potential of this programme and make the biggest impact for museums and visitors across the UK.
Going Places builds on Art Fund’s commitment to helping museums and galleries work together to share their collections with communities through innovative and sustainable approaches to exhibition making.
Local communities will work with expert curators and play a vital role in shaping each exhibition, helping to reinterpret collections in ways that reflect new voices, experiences and stories, such as:
Green Spaces Shared Places (Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum; Dales Countryside Museum; Sunderland Culture; The National Memorial Arboretum) will place young communities’ voices at the heart of conversations, exploring the positive impact that the great outdoors can have on our health and the ways in which these interactions can be enriched by our social, industrial and agricultural heritage. Their first exhibition will open at the National Memorial Arboretum in May 2026.
Long Distance Connections (Museums Worcestershire; OnFife; Penlee House Gallery & Museum) will begin by exploring the stories of women artists represented across each of their collections, with works from all three museums brought together in dialogue to create new narratives. The first exhibition will open at Penlee House Gallery & Museum in May 2026.
New Faces New Focus (Aberdeenshire Council; Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council; Open Eye Gallery) will use socially engaged practice to connect newly formed and isolated communities with their heritage collections, exploring the theme of journeys – from migration and exile to the milestones, traditions and celebrations of journeys through life. Their first exhibition will open at Open Eye Gallery in September 2026.
Founding the Future (The Bowes Museum; Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum; Watts Gallery) will uncover new stories and narratives, exploring how their museums, all founded by couples with a passion for art, culture and collecting, have relevance to their communities today. Their first exhibition will open at Watts Gallery in October 2026.
Four Lanterns (Blackwell – The Arts & Crafts house; Dovecot Studios; Tŷ Pawb; William Morris Gallery) will take the Arts and Crafts movement as a starting point to consider the politics, social values, and new possibilities emerging around contemporary forms of manufacturing, connecting crafts, contemporary makers and communities. Their first exhibition will open at William Morris Gallery in October 2026.
Communities of Making (CofGâr – Carmarthenshire Museums & Arts Service; High Life Highland – Highland Folk Museum and Inverness Museum & Art Gallery; the Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum) will explore the evolution of local heritage and traditions of making – such as Irish linen, Scottish wool and Welsh basketry – through objects from their collections including textiles, heritage machinery and paintings. Their first exhibition will open at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery in April 2027.
Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said:
“Going Places is a celebration of UK collections and the people who bring them to life. By pooling resources, sharing expertise and working together, museums are championing a sustainable and collaborative approach to touring exhibitions – while making their collections accessible and exciting for communities across the country.
“As we continue our fundraising towards this programme to make the biggest impact for museums, we are immensely grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Julia Rausing Trust for their very generous support for this programme, which will pave the way for a more open and resourceful future for exhibition making.”
Going Places responds directly to museums’ needs for more sustainable and collaborative ways of exhibiting, supporting them to share their collections with one another. Art Fund’s 2024 Museum Directors survey found that 63% of museums are looking to work in partnership with other museums on exhibition making.
The programme builds on recommendations from the 2022 research report Going places: Touring and shared exhibitions in the UK, commissioned by Art Fund and Creative Scotland, which identified shared touring models as key to increasing access to high-quality, accessible exhibitions and building the long-term sustainability of museums across the UK.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“At the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we believe in the power of museums to inspire, offer joy, build pride in places and, of course, to provide a great day out. Going Places is a brilliant programme bringing together small and medium sized museums and galleries, enabling them to share diverse and much-loved collections in a unique and dynamic way, involving people right across the UK. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Art Fund on this innovative project.
“Since 1994 we have awarded £2.4 billion to 5,900 museum, library, archive and collection-based projects across the UK. Thanks to National Lottery players our funding contribution supports innovative and sustainable approaches to making exhibitions accessible, enabling communities to care for their precious heritage and share it more widely.”
Simon Fourmy, Director of the Julia Rausing Trust, said:
“We are delighted to support the Art Fund in launching the Going Places programme. This represents an innovative collaborative approach in the creation of touring exhibitions, and one that puts local communities at its heart. It provides meaningful cultural engagement that will broaden audiences and increase access to collections. Supporting cultural institutions was an important part of Julia Rausing’s giving and this programme will allow our funds to reach museums and communities across the UK.”
This major investment in regional heritage follows a successful research and development phase.
Going Places, an Art Fund programme made possible with generous support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Julia Rausing Trust.