Press Release Articles

The Box partners with regional museums to create accessible pottery resource | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Nov 2023

The Box partners with regional museums to create accessible pottery resource

Following the success of a recent pilot in Somerset, Historic England has awarded a grant to museums across Devon and Cornwall to create a Fabric Type Series for medieval and post medieval pottery. The project will bring together medieval and post-medieval sherds found across the region in an easy to access reference collection that can be used as a comparative resource for excavated material as well as unexpected finds.

The Box secures Lottery funding to research the South West’s Windrush connections | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Oct 2023

The Box secures Lottery funding to research the South West’s Windrush connections

The Box has been awarded a National Lottery Community Fund grant of £9,500 to research the Windrush generation and its legacy in Devon and Cornwall. The project will take a deep dive into the passenger lists from the dozens of ships that arrived at the city’s Millbay Docks from the late 1940s to the early 1970s, uncovering the stories of the people that arrived here, their descendants and their lives in the South West.

The Box appoints Rebecca Bridgman as Head of Collections and Programme | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Oct 2023

The Box appoints Rebecca Bridgman as Head of Collections and Programme

The Box has made a significant addition to its Senior Management Team with the appointment of Rebecca Bridgman as its new Head of Collections and Programme.

The Box awarded unique grant to acquire work by Turner Prize-nominated artist  Ingrid Pollard MBE | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Sep 2023

The Box awarded unique grant to acquire work by Turner Prize-nominated artist Ingrid Pollard MBE

The Box, Plymouth’s award-winning museum, art gallery and archive, is one of two organisations in the UK to be awarded funding through the latest round of the Freelands Art Fund Acquisition – a unique partnership between Art Fund and Freelands Foundation. Launched in 2021, the partnership helps museums acquire work by contemporary women artists that have won the Freelands Award.

The National Gallery's 'Dutch Flowers' and Yinka Shonibare CBE RA's 'End of Empire' to open at The Box in October | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Sep 2023

The National Gallery's 'Dutch Flowers' and Yinka Shonibare CBE RA's 'End of Empire' to open at The Box in October

A new season of exhibitions and commissions launches at The Box in Plymouth this October with a nationally touring fine art exhibition and a thought-provoking sculpture. Both elements of the programme explore empire, trade and colonisation in different ways – with the aim of encouraging visitors to think about social and historical narratives from a different perspective.

The countdown is on to this year's Plymouth Community History Festival | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Sep 2023

The countdown is on to this year's Plymouth Community History Festival

Plymouth’s popular annual History Festival returns later this month, with a refreshed identity and week-long programme focused on community and diversity. This year’s festival runs from 30 September to 6 October with a programme that features a great selection of history talks, guided walks and displays.

Huge rarely-seen painting to be unrolled at The Box as part of a special ‘conservation in action’ event | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Aug 2023

Huge rarely-seen painting to be unrolled at The Box as part of a special ‘conservation in action’ event

A giant painting which hasn’t been seen in public for decades will be rolled out at The Box on Wednesday 27 September, as part of a live ‘conservation in action’ event.

Behind the scenes: Creating exhibitions | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Aug 2023

Behind the scenes: Creating exhibitions

We display up to 10 exhibitions a year at The Box - but have you ever wondered how we put them together? They can take months, sometimes years to plan and deliver. Here's an insight from some of the staff who've worked on our current shows.

The Triumph of Art: The Box announced as UK partner for National Gallery's bicentenary commission with artist Jeremy Deller | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Aug 2023

The Triumph of Art: The Box announced as UK partner for National Gallery's bicentenary commission with artist Jeremy Deller

The Triumph of Art, the National Gallery’s commission to round off its Bicentenary year, has announced the partners it will be working with, to develop, produce and deliver the project - and The Box is one of them. Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller will be celebrating festivals, gatherings, and art in the public realm, in this UK-wide performance work.

A painting exchange with Saltram House | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Aug 2023

A painting exchange with Saltram House

As part of our programme to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723-23 February 1792), The Box has partnered with The National Trust at Saltram House, in Plympton to exchange works from our collections.

Rana Begum on Sir Joshua Reynolds | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Aug 2023

Rana Begum on Sir Joshua Reynolds

As well as over 30 spectacular works by Sir Joshua Reynolds, our major 'Reframing Reynolds: A Celebration' exhibition features three brand new works by artist Rana Begum. The paintings came about after Begum undertook a research visit to The Box. Each one responds to a different Reynolds portrait, although not in a literal sense. These new works explore the effect of one colour against another, the impact of light and how Reynolds created depth, movement and drama. Listen to these video clips, taken from a recording session in Begum's studio, to discover what inspired her.

Viewpoint: A place for everyone | The Box Plymouth
Press Release - Jul 2023

Viewpoint: A place for everyone

Councillor Jemima Laing, Plymouth City Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children's Social Care, Culture, Events and Communications, shares why she thinks The Box is a place where's there's something for everyone.