Past Projects

The Box on Screen is a lively series of online conversations about our collections.

‘Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters’ was displayed at The Box from October 2021 to February 2022. Featuring 300 paintings and objects by over 100 different artists, it was an internationally touring exhibition that took visitors on an epic journey across three states, three deserts and 500,000 square kilometres.

Winner of the British Guild of Travel Writers ‘Best UK and Ireland Tourism Project 2020’ Award, this major commemorative exhibition marked the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower to America throughout 2020-2021.

An exhibition that united contemporary indigenous artists and educators in the USA with museums and historic collections in Britain as part of the 2020-2021 Mayflower 400 commemorations.

Over the summer and autumn of 2021, artist Emily Pope undertook a residency with The Box. It resulted in the creation of ‘One In Every Village’ – the first in a new moving image and exhibition series. We’re proud to have premiered it.

The Box’s first-ever contemporary art exhibition was staged from September 2020 until September 2021 across multiple spaces at The Box. It featured the work of five international artists: Leonor Antunes (Portugal), Christopher Baker (USA), Alexandre da Cunha (Brazil), Eva Grubinger (Austria) and Camille Walala (France/UK).

The Box awarded six development bursaries of £1,000 each to artists from across the South West in 2021. The artists used the bursaries to support ongoing or existing projects and/or research. Take a look at each of them to find out more about their work and current practice.

AR/chive is a project that aimed to unlock heritage films for viewing in augmented reality/AR. Over the summer of 2022, people could use their smartphones to access a series of archive films featuring Plymouth’s postwar reconstruction, which are played out in the real world where the films took place.

Delving into the personal recipe books of the people of Plymouth to discover more about the changing food fashions of the 1900s.

‘Arts & Minds’ used The Box’s collections and exhibitions to improve wellbeing for people living with dementia and their carers.

Funding for creative grassroots projects connected to the 2020-2021 ‘Mayflower 400’ commemorations.

Exploring the social history of Maker Camp on the Rame Peninsula, Cornwall.

This series of 19 micro-commissions by artists based in Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall was rolled out across our digital platforms in the summer of 2020, and explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our notion of freedom.

Signs Of / For Change was a commission for Tavistock Place by Plymouth-based artists LOW PROFILE for the 2020 Plymouth Art Weekender and The Box’s Preview Weekend.

This major exhibition was displayed in The Levinsky Gallery at the University of Plymouth from September to December 2020. It featured a newly acquired film work, plus some additional loans, by acclaimed American artist Kehinde Wiley.

Putting the happy into our high street. ‘High Street Sparks’ ran from 2021-2024 and provided funding support to help make projects and ideas inspired by the heritage of Plymouth’s city centre a reality.

As part of the public programme surrounding ‘Jyll Bradley: Running and Returning’ (5 April – 2 November 2025), The Box worked with Adopt South West and local adoptive families to create a new collaborative display in our Simmons Learning Room window in response to her ambitious survey exhibition.

The Box’s Reimagining the Film Archive is a three-year programme (2023-2026) made possible with thanks to the National Lottery and the BFI Screen Heritage Fund.

The Triumph of Art by artist Jeremy Deller was a nationwide performance rounding off the National Gallery’s Bicentenary celebrations. It marked how festivals are part and parcel of art, culture and civic life, and that art and artists can be catalysts of collaboration and joy.