Plymouth museum generates millions for economy

The Box celebrate five years

2025 has been described as “a phenomenal year” for The Box in Plymouth as it celebrated its first five years and one millionth visitor.

The Plymouth City Council owned art gallery and museum, which opened its door during the covid pandemic, has generated nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in economic impact and delivered over £100 million in health benefits since then.

This year saw world class exhibitions such as ‘Forbidden Territories – 100 years of Surrealism’, John Lyons’ ‘Carnivalesque’ and Jyll Bradley’s ‘Running and Returning’ alongside temporary displays like ‘Remember Respond Resist’ featuring Grayson Perry’s tapestries. 

‘The Triumph of Art’ by Jeremy Deller, a celebration of art in all its forms, rounded off the National Gallery’s bicentenary celebrations with Plymouth as the host, featuring events over five months including the final spectacular – ‘Hello Sailor’, a major commissioned event at Tinside Lido. 

Over 60 exhibitions in five years, including many high profile, have helped cement the city as a cultural powerhouse but at the heart of the Box is the ethos that art is for everyone. And that’s why people can see all these wonderful things for free.

Cllr Jemima Laing (Lab, Stoke), acting leader of Plymouth City Council and cabinet member for culture,  says it’s all the people that are being introduced to art through The Box that makes her most proud.

“We have a higher percentage of people making their first visit to a cultural institution than lots of other cities. It’s not just the exhibitions but the activity around them. We’ve had an established events programme called Super Saturday which happens at some point during every exhibition where we have a day absolutely packed with activities.

“For Forbidden Territories – our incredible Surrealism exhibition – we had Salvador Dali, Max Ernst and all these incredible artists’ work to see free in the Box. I went to the Super Saturday that day. There was a ceramics workshop, there were painting workshops. There was all kinds of events going on around that. And in addition to that, we have children’s activities. 

“There’s always something going on at The Box that you can come along and enjoy or you can bring your children along to enjoy it.”

Curator Victoria Pomery, who is the recipient of an OBE for her services to the arts, has been the driving force behind the ambitions for The Box, which is National Portfolio Organisation and funded by the Arts Council along with the city council and private donations.

Her reputation for running galleries, including the Turner Contemporary for ten highly successful years, has enabled her to build up an impressive list of contacts and it’s these connections that have helped bring exhibitions from the National Gallery to Plymouth, sometimes the only place outside of London where you can see them.

“Victoria wants to give us all the opportunity to see incredible stuff, not just people who live in London and big cities,” said Cllr Laing. “She feels communities like ours should not miss out, that is very much her raison d’etre.”

In 2026 the first highly anticipated Beryl Cook exhibition will be staged at The Box, running from the end of January to May, and the £50 million painting Portrait of Mai by Sir Joshua Reynolds, depicting the first Polynesian to visit Britain which will embark on its first national tour, coming to Plymouth in February before it heads to New York.

“These are the two exhibitions we have planned but there will be many more,” said the councillor. “2025 was a phenomenal year but I think 2026 is going to be our best year yet. Beryl is beloved in Plymouth and people have asked and asked me when we are going to have an exhibition of her work.

“I feel it is fitting to have this exhibition now because we can really do it justice. The Box is really established now and we have everything in place; a ticketing system, that still allows people to see the exhibition for free but we can run it in a calm, controlled way with timed tickets, an incredible retail offer and an additional sculpture trail where giant figures from Beryl’s work  can be seen in the locations in her paintings.

“We sort of work on the assumption that everyone who Beryl Cook is because we are in Plymouth and she is absolutely part of the Plymouth story but there are people who don’t and I am really excited for people outside of the city to discover her work as well. 

“It’s going to be a really special exhibition and I cannot wait for it.”

Cllr Laing said with local authority budgets stretched, keeping The Box free to visitors was “difficult”.

“It’s a continual conundrum about how you keep funding an institution like The Box,” she said.

“It’s no secret that local authority budgets are very, very tight. It’s not just Plymouth. It’s something we have to continually advocate for because lots of local authorities don’t invest in culture anymore. 

“But we’ve had a million visitors and now we’re at 1.1 million visitors and our five-year impact report really showed the economic impact of the Box and the importance of prioritising cultural activity.

“It’s not a statutory service but we know what our residents, in particular, get out of having access to The Box. It is such an inclusive, creative space, and I’m really proud of the fact that it’s free.

“I hope whoever has this role in the future will really understand and value the importance of free access for everybody to The Box.”

All but a handful of schools in Plymouth have now visited the gallery and it is Cllr Laing’s mission to make that 100 per cent and address any barriers that may prevent them from coming. She also wants to take art out to the north of the city as much of the cultural activities are based in the south.

She said Plymouth’s commitment and investment in culture was helping to raise the profile of the city.

“You know, it’s an incredible art space. It also celebrates the city’s heritage. We have a wonderful cafe, which, on any given day, is buzzing and busy. It’s a safe, warm, inclusive space. I think it means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. 

“I don’t suppose when I was there with my hard hat and high vis jacket, however many years ago, that I could have envisaged what a success it would be and how it would really become at the heart of the city’s cultural life. 

“I think it’s incredible and I’m looking forward to the next five years. Opening in covid was not the most auspicious start but it’s been magnificent to get to this point.”