800,000 visits, international exhibitions and awards – The Box continues to impress as it reports on success
18 July 2024
The Box has welcomed more than 817,000 visitors since it opened in September 2020! We presented our annual report to Plymouth City Council's scrutiny committee on 17 July and shared how we're working hard to care for the city’s historic collections, explore the important stories and issues that impact us all and be a social space that offers everyone who steps through our door an amazing experience.
In the 2023-2024 financial year, The Box welcomed 272,000 visits – a 10% increase on the previous year and more than three times as many annual visitors as the former City Museum and Art Gallery. Since opening, more than 26,000 children and young people have participated in The Box’s schools programme and 27,000 family visitors attended free holiday workshops in 2023/4 alone.
A recent review of visitor data has shown that over a third of The Box’s visitors to date have been first time visitors. A quarter of these had never visited a similar attraction before, demonstrating how it’s helping to grow cultural audiences in the city. The analysis also showed that The Box welcomes a wide range of ages and is doing especially well at attracting under 25s and over 65s, reflecting Plymouth’s demographic and student population.
These latest figures from The Box are highly impressive and give us so much to celebrate. Every time I visit, it seems to get better and better, with everything from free creative activities for families and young children to world class art exhibitions that are touring the globe. The Box is proving to be a place where there really is something for everyone and where there are important conversations to be started and shared.
Councillor Jemima Laing, Deputy Leader
The Box delivered three themed seasons in 2023-2024, including an ambitious Summer of Light and Colour with a major exhibition of work by Plympton-born Sir Joshua Reynolds and an autumn/winter season that focused on the theme of Revisiting History featuring major British artists John Akomfrah and Yinka Shonibare.
Its latest exhibition, The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure, received five-star reviews from national art critics and includes work by 22 of the UK and USA’s most important living artists, including the woman who painted Michelle Obama’s portrait and two Turner Prize winners.
The Box’s event programme and overall visitor experience have also continued to receive plaudits from the public in recent months. The venue was voted Devon’s Best Family Attraction in the 2024 Muddy Stilettos Awards in May and has just received a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice award.