More than £100 million has been awarded to hundreds of cultural organisations across the country today in the latest round of support announced by the Culture Secretary – and Plymouth’s award-winning museum, art gallery and archive is one of them.
The third round of funding will support organisations from all corners of the cultural sector as they deal with ongoing reopening challenges, ensuring they can thrive in better times ahead.
The Box, which recently marked its first anniversary, has been awarded a grant of £146,500. The funding will provide valuable support as it continues its recovery from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and firms up its plans for an exciting 2022 and beyond.
After having to delay its original opening date by over four months, its launch in September 2020 was one of the most significant cultural events of the year.
It’s been visited by over 125,000 people in spite on the national lockdowns, wowed local audiences and helped drive tourist visits to the city over the summer.
It’s currently the only UK venue on the international tour for the National Museum of Australia’s ‘Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters’ exhibition (on display until 27 February 2022). The ground breaking exhibition features over 300 works of art by more than 100 Indigenous artists. It’s set to travel to Europe, North America and Asia from 2022 and is a flagship project in the UK/Australia season of culture.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “Culture is for everyone and should therefore be accessible to everyone, no matter who they are and where they’re from. Through unprecedented government financial support, the Culture Recovery Fund is supporting arts and cultural organisations so they can continue to bring culture to communities the length and breadth of the country, supporting jobs, boosting local economies and inspiring people.”
Over £1.2 billion has already been awarded from the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, supporting around 5,000 individual organisations and sites across the country ranging from local museums to West End theatres, grassroots music venues to festivals, and organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.
Councillor Mark Deacon, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Culture, Leisure and Sport said: “Despite the challenges of the last eighteen months, The Box has achieved so much and become a great source of pride for Plymouth and the wider region with the scale of its ambition and the welcome it gives all its visitors. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support of Arts Council England and other key funders and this latest award is a fantastic boost as we continue to recover and move forwards.”
Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: “This continued investment from the Government on an unprecedented scale means our theatres, galleries, music venues, museums and arts centres can carry on playing their part in bringing visitors back to our high streets, helping to drive economic growth, boosting community pride and promoting good health. It’s a massive vote of confidence in the role our cultural organisations play in helping us all to lead happier lives.”
To find out more about The Box visit www.theboxplymouth.com.