The Vagina Museum is to reopen next month, having secured a new East London location.
The museum will reopen to the public on Saturday 4th November 2023 in its new premises in Bethnal Green with a temporary exhibition, Endometriosis: Into the Unknown.
It last closed its doors to the public in February 2023, after the property guardianship at a previous premises in Bethnal Green came to an end.
In spring 2023, the Vagina Museum launched a major crowdfunding appeal in order to secure new premises. The campaign surpassed its £85,000 target, with donations from 2500 individuals.
Vagina Museum meets crowdfunding target for new East London location
The new Vagina Museum will eventually be composed of three accessible galleries, but will open with access to its temporary exhibition gallery, events space, gift shop and cafe.
Following the completion of lift access, two upstairs galleries will open to display a permanent exhibition, and a community gallery displaying temporary exhibitions.
The ground floor gallery will first be home to the temporary exhibition ‘Endometriosis: Into the Unknown’, produced in collaboration with Oxford EndoCare, part of the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, and the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics based at The University of Oxford.
Florence Schechter, Director of the Vagina Museum said the new location is “bigger and better than ever before”.
“Raising awareness of endometriosis has been a common request from our community since the Vagina Museum project began, and we’re thrilled to be teaming up with the Oxford research group to make this a reality.”
Brian Mackenwells, Public Engagement Officer for the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics added: “From the first meeting, we have all been on the same page about the importance of this topic and the importance of amplifying the voices of the people with endometriosis that our researchers work with every day.
“We count ourselves extremely lucky to be able to work with an organisation as thoughtful and engaged as the Vagina Museum, and cannot wait for everyone to see the exhibition.”
