Museums and Galleries: Essex

DCMS has given £800,000 capital investment to build the new Mobile Museum and arts access charity Art Explora has matchfunded the costs of three 12-week tours annually for the next 4 years.

The aim of the mobile museum is to make the nation’s artworks more accessible for thousands of people, primarily school children, who would not otherwise be able to visit their local museum.

The mobile museum will also spotlight and encourage visits to local museums around the country. Over four years from 2027, the new UK mobile museum will take artworks from the nation’s collections into the heart of communities right across the country, focusing on towns and rural areas currently with low engagement with the arts.

With 36-40 weeks of touring annually, the mobile museum will visit 40-45 locations annually. It is expected to reach 100,000 visitors and 520-600 schools in the first committed 4 years of operations.

Ongoing evaluation will track audience reach, engagement levels, and social impact, ensuring ongoing assessment of outcomes against investment.

The mobile museum complements permanent infrastructure by reaching communities in between cultural venues and can be set up in local schools, parks, and high streets. This announcement is in addition to up to £1.5 billion in funding for the cultural sector to protect and restore permanent arts venues across England, announced by the Culture Secretary earlier this year.

The touring routes of the mobile museum will be focused on DCMS Culture Priority places, identifying areas in England where investment has been too low, reaching audiences who might not otherwise engage with museums and galleries.