Watts Gallery is one of twenty organisations across the UK taking part in Going Places - a landmark £5.36m exhibition programme from Art Fund, the national charity for museums and galleries, that will see museums and galleries from all four nations share their collections in the largest collaborative touring project of its kind.

The largest investment of its kind in the UK, 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.

Watts Gallery will work in partnership with The Bowes Museum and Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum as part of a network called Founding the Future. Exploring how their museums, all founded by couples with a passion for art, culture and collecting have relevance today, they will work with local communities to develop and present two touring exhibitions.

Alistair Burtenshaw, Brice Director & Chief Executive, Watts Gallery Trust, said:

“We’re delighted to be part of this transformative programme and are very much looking forward to working in partnership with The Bowes Museum and Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum as part of the Founding the Future network. We’re excited to explore how our collective museums, which were all founded by couples with a passion for art, culture and collecting, have new relevance to our communities today.”

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% 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.

For further information:

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The full list of Going Places networks:

• Green Spaces Shared Places (Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum; Dales Countryside Museum; Sunderland Culture; The National Memorial Arboretum) will place young communities’ voices at the heart of conversations, exploring the positive impact that 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. Their first exhibition will open at The National Memorial Arboretum in May 2026.
• Long Distance Connections (Museums Worcestershire; OnFife; Penlee House Gallery & Museum) will begin by exploring the stories of women artists represented across each of their collections, with works from all three museums brought together in dialogue to create new narratives. The first exhibition will open at Penlee House Gallery & Museum in May 2026.
• New Faces New Focus (Aberdeenshire Council; Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council; Open Eye Gallery) will use socially engaged practice to connect newly formed and isolated communities with their heritage collections. Exploring the theme of journeys – from migration and exile to the milestones, traditions and celebrations of journeys through life. Their first exhibition will open at Open Eye Gallery in September 2026.
• Founding the Future (The Bowes Museum; Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum; Watts Gallery) will uncover new stories and narratives, exploring how their museums, all founded by couples with a passion for art, culture and collecting have relevance to their communities today. Their first exhibition will open at Watts Gallery in October 2026.
• Four Lanterns (Blackwell – The Arts & Crafts house; Dovecot Studios; Tŷ Pawb; William Morris Gallery) will take the Arts and Crafts movement as a starting point to consider the politics, social values, and new possibilities emerging around contemporary forms of manufacturing, connecting crafts, contemporary makers and communities. Their first exhibition will open at William Morris Gallery in October 2026.
• Communities of Making (CofGâr – Carmarthenshire Museums & Arts Service; High Life Highland – Highland Folk Museum and Inverness Museum & Art Gallery; the Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum) will explore the evolution of local heritage and traditions of making – such as Irish linen, Scottish wool and Welsh basketry – through objects from their collections including textiles, heritage machinery and paintings. Their first exhibition will open at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery in April 2027.

About Art Fund

Art Fund is the national charity for museums and galleries. For over 120 years, it has helped institutions across the UK to develop and share their collections, invest in people and expertise, grow their audiences and inspire the next generation.

Art Fund connects museums and people with great art and culture through funding, advocacy and initiatives, because access to art is vital for a healthy society. It champions the sector through the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year Award - the world’s largest museum prize - and supports museum professionals through dedicated training and grant programmes.

Independent and people-powered, Art Fund is supported by 142,000 members who buy a National Art Pass, as well as generous contributions from individuals, trusts and foundations. The National Art Pass offers free or discounted entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic places in the UK, 50% off major exhibitions, a subscription to Art Quarterly magazine and Art In Your Inbox newsletter.

www.artfund.org

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.

heritagefund.org.uk

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund

About the Julia Rausing Trust

Julia Rausing Trust has been established in memory of the late British philanthropist Julia Rausing, (née Delves-Broughton), who died in 2024.

Julia Rausing Trust will see £100million donated to charities and organisations in its first year and annually thereafter, making it one of the largest charitable funds in the UK.

Julia Rausing co-founded The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust in 2014. She was widely known for her unwavering commitment to philanthropy and her impactful contributions to a wide range of UK charitable causes. She was instrumental in building the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust into one of the largest philanthropic funds in the country, donating £400 million to causes across Health, Welfare, and the Arts, primarily within the UK.

www.juliarausingtrust.org

Notes to Editors:

Watts Gallery

Watts Gallery Trust is an independent charity established in 1904 to enable future generations to connect with the art and ideas of George Frederic Watts, one of the leading artists of the nineteenth century, and his artist-wife, Mary Seton Watts.

G F Watts OM RA (1817-1904) was widely considered to be the greatest painter of the Victorian age. He became the first living artist to have a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the artist’s ‘gift to the Nation’ made a significant contribution to the founding collections of Tate Britain and the National Portrait Gallery.

Mary Watts (1848-1939) was an artist, designer, writer, businesswoman and philanthropist. Her art supported and inspired the people around her, involving local communities in her projects. She was the creative powerhouse behind two significant enterprises: the Watts Chapel and the Compton Potters’ Arts Guild.

Today, Watts Gallery - Artist’s Village continues George and Mary Watts's legacy of Art for all by all. This vision to make art accessible to everyone is realised through a dynamic and multi-sensory programme of creativity, exhibitions, contemporary art projects and community engagement. Read more.