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- Author, Alison Stephenson
- Role, Local Reporting Democracy Service
A Devon museum and art gallery said 2025 had been a “phenomenal year” as it celebrated reaching 1.1 million visitors since opening five years ago.
The Box, owned by Plymouth City Council, opened its doors during the Covid pandemic and has hosted more than 60 exhibitions.
Cabinet member for culture, councillor Jemima Laing said she had never envisaged what a success it would be and how it had become the “heart of the city’s cultural life”, adding that she looked forward to the next five years.
“It’s not just the exhibitions but the activity around them,” she said.
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.”
This year saw exhibitions such as Forbidden Territories – 100 years of Surrealism, and Jyll Bradley’s Running and Returning, alongside temporary displays like Remember Respond Resist featuring Grayson Perry’s tapestries, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
“Our five-year impact report really showed the economic impact of the Box and the importance of prioritising cultural activity,” Laing said.