Plymouth’s ‘jewel’ Box wins £120k Museum of the Year prize
Plymouth’s museum, art gallery and archive, The Box, has won this year’s Art Fund Museum of the Year award, at £120,000 the world’s largest museum prize.
A local museum, The Box, which has free entry, beat the National Gallery, the V&A East Storehouse, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and Norwich Castle, which each receive £20,000 as runners-up.
The Box was built by Plymouth City Council at a cost of £46m and opened in 2020. It tells the city’s story through its collections of more than 2m artworks, objects, specimens, and archival materials. Welcoming more than 1.3m visitors since itb ipene3d The Box has become a leading example of what a civic museum can achieve – generating over £100m in health and wellbeing benefits, boosting Plymouth’s local economy by £244m and reaching 89% of Plymouth schools.
“The Box is a revelation in so many ways - a true jewel in the crown of the South West” said Jenny Waldman, chair of the judges and CEO of Art Fund. “In just five years it has transformed how Plymouth’s remarkable collections are shared and experienced, creating a welcoming space for visitors and reaching beyond its walls into public spaces and almost every school in the city. Its social and economic impact demonstrates what long-term investment in culture can achieve – and is recognised and championed by Plymouth City Council.”
The Box’s CO, Victoria Pommery, said the prize money would be spent on extending the museum’s outreach programme.
Picture: David Levene, Art Fund