The SMWG’s collaboration in the programme has come through Sunderland Culture, the organisation which delivers the creative programme in the Museum.
Going Places has been supported with £2.86 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £1.5 million from the Julia Rausing Trust, with further fundraising ongoing. Six museum networks spanning the breadth of the country will co-create 12 major touring exhibitions over the next five years, taking the UK’s collections on an epic journey that will result in 40 unique exhibitions made with and for local communities.
SMWG will work in partnership with Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum; Dales Countryside Museum, and The National Memorial Arboretum as part of a network called Green Spaces Shared Places. Exploring the positive impact the great outdoors can have on our health and the ways in which these interactions can be enriched by our social, industrial and agricultural heritage, they will work with local communities to develop and present two touring exhibitions.
The network partners will work with young people aged 13 – 30 years from their communities to co-curate two touring exhibitions featuring partner and SMWG collections from 2025 – 2030. These outdoor and indoor exhibitions will explore young people’s relationship with green spaces on a local and national scale, the impact of industry, agriculture and the climate crisis, telling new intergenerational stories using creative interpretative approaches.
As part of the project development phase, network partners and young people from Sunderland Culture’s Celebrate Different Collective have been learning how to use an ‘eco-lens’ as a method of storytelling in museums, working with ‘amateur ancestor’ curator and producer Justine Boussard and Climate Musuem UK.
The project team will continue to use this approach to support other young people in Sunderland and across the UK to create connections between their natural, cultural and industrial heritage and tell new stories of climate hope in the new exhibitions, learning from the experiences of our ancestors and inspiring others to take positive community action.
Groups of young people from Sunderland College and Sunderland Culture have also been taking part in accessibility audits in the Museum and Mowbray Park to support the project team and young co-creators to understand how outdoor and indoor exhibitions can be designed to meet the needs of neurodivergent and disabled young people. The project will give opportunities to test these new approaches and create inclusive exhibitions that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Nick Malyan, Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture which delivers the creative programme in SMWG, said:
“This exciting new project will help to strengthen partnerships with local environmental organisations such as Durham Wildlife Trust and reach new audiences of young people who have not previously engaged with the Museum and its collections. Going Places will also bring new voices and perspectives that can support interpretation in the Museum and Mowbray Park and help develop exciting new programmes for the Growing Space.”
Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said:
“It’s fantastic to see Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens taking part in the Going Places initiative. This will also add value to our upcoming bid to redevelop the museum through the National Lottery Heritage Fund”
“The Museum and Winter Gardens is not only one of Sunderland’s most cherished attractions, but a cornerstone of our city’s identity and is treasured by residents and visitors.
“This exciting programme promises to enhance the museum’s vibrant offering, bringing new experiences, exhibitions, and opportunities for learning and connection.
“I’d encourage everyone to come rediscover the museum and be inspired by the rich heritage and innovation that Going Places brings to our city.”
Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said:
“Going Places is a celebration of UK collections and the people who bring them to life. By pooling resources, sharing expertise and working together, museums are championing a sustainable and collaborative approach to touring exhibitions – while making their collections accessible and exciting for communities across the country. As we continue our fundraising towards this programme to make the biggest impact for museums, we are immensely grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Julia Rausing Trust for their very generous support for this programme, which will pave the way for a more open and resourceful future for exhibition making.”
Going Places responds directly to museums’ needs for more sustainable and collaborative ways of exhibiting, supporting them to share their collections with one another. Art Fund’s 2024 Museum Directors survey found that 63 per cent of museums are looking to work in partnership with other museums on exhibition making.
The programme builds on recommendations from the 2022 research report Going places: Touring and shared exhibitions in the UK, commissioned by Art Fund and Creative Scotland, which identified shared touring models as key to increasing access to high-quality, accessible exhibitions, and building the long-term sustainability of museums across the UK.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“At The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we believe in the power of museums to inspire, offer joy, build pride in places and, of course, to provide a great day out. Going Places is a brilliant programme bringing together small and medium sized museums and galleries, enabling them to share diverse and much-loved collections in a unique and dynamic way, involving people right across the UK. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Art Fund on this innovative project.
“Since 1994 we have awarded £2.4bn to 5,900 museum, library, archive and collection-based projects across the UK. Thanks to National Lottery players our funding contribution supports innovative and sustainable approaches to making exhibitions accessible, enabling communities to care for their precious heritage and share it more widely.”
Simon Fourmy, Director of the Julia Rausing Trust, said:
“We are delighted to support Art Fund in launching the Going Places programme. This represents an innovative collaborative approach in the creation of touring exhibitions, and one that puts local communities at its heart. It provides meaningful cultural engagement that will broaden audiences and increase access to collections. Supporting cultural institutions was an important part of Julia Rausing’s giving and this programme will allow our funds to reach museums and communities across the UK.”
Going Places, an Art Fund programme made possible with generous support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Julia Rausing Trust.
Image: Network partner staff from Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, the National Memorial Arboretum, Dales Countryside Museum and Arlington Court and Carriage Museum exploring Museum objects and creating new stories as part of their eco-lens workshop