MAGNET – a network of 12 museums and galleries that are joining resources to share their collections with diverse regional audiences – will also publish the first part of its toolkit for the sector in early 2026, focused on joint planning and co-development of the content for shared and touring exhibitions. A second section on the logistics of touring is planned for later in the year.
The Gender Stories exhibition will open at its second venue, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, on 31 January 2026 and then move on to Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, opening on 16 May.
Human Natures’ run at Derby Museum and Art Gallery comes to a close on 22 February 2026, ahead of its move to Manchester Museum in April.
And Colour: A season of shades, tints and tones will tour a whopping four venues in 2026, showing at Tullie in Carlisle until 25 January, heading to Gosport Museum & Art Gallery from 7 February and then moving on to Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter in summer and Bristol Museum and Art Gallery in autumn.
All three exhibitions opened in their first venues in 2025. They will tour across 12 museums and galleries around England and be seen by more than half a million visitors by the end of 2028.
Each exhibition has been co-created by its host museums and galleries and will be ‘personalised’ by each new venue, with unique public programmes led by artists and local communities.
With every MAGNET venue having their own unique audience base and visitor targets, it’s been amazing to witness the adaptations each museum has made, to tell regional stories and bring their own collections to the surface, often working with local communities. We’re looking forward to more iterations in the coming year and hope the toolkit can inspire similar partnership projects as well, by embedding collaboration right from inception through to delivery of an exhibition.
MAGNET is funded by Arts Council England and Art Fund.
A £336,000 Touring Projects grant from Arts Council England, funded by the National Lottery, has enabled the development and touring of the three exhibitions, while £75,000 from Art Fund is helping to fund a three-year full-time MAGNET Coordinator post, to ensure smooth running of the network.
Lead image: Bristol Culture