Touring Exhibition Group publishes new report: An Analysis of Touring Exhibition Practice in the UK

In April 2015 the Touring Exhibitions Group was awarded £40,000 investment from Arts Council England’s (ACE) Museum Resilience Fund, to support the delivery of a two-year research and training programme, titled Economics of Touring Exhibitions: Models for Practice, exploring the economics of touring exhibitions in the UK today. An interim report was published in September 2015, which was featured in Museums + Heritage Advisor’s In Focus report on Temporary and Touring Exhibitions.

The new 28-page Economics of Touring Exhibitions Survey Report: An Analysis of Touring Exhibition Practice in the UK is backed up by the TEG Toolkit: Developing an Economic and Production Strategy for Touring Exhibitions and by the Economics of Touring: Recommendations for Practice.

TEG asserts that touring exhibitions can ensure the sustainability of access to high quality temporary exhibitions to all and they are a key tool when responding to reduced funding for temporary exhibitions.

The survey and report focus on touring between UK organisations, to complement to the work being undertaken by the Working Internationally Regional Project (WIRP) and British Council concerning international touring. The research findings have been used as a basis for identifying a range of economic and production models that can be employed by organisations

TEG Researcher Charlotte Dew

TEG’s application to ACE followed the identification of a pressing need for information and learning resources to assist UK organisations to find and apply appropriate funding models for the delivery of touring exhibitions. This need was recognised through evaluation of the TEG’s existing professional development programme, which commenced in 2013, delivering the training seminars ‘Beginning to Tour’ and the ‘Principles of Touring Exhibitions’.

The survey has also been used to identify case studies that illustrate the full range of approaches to funding and managing touring exhibitions. The resultant training resources are delivered through a one-day interactive Economics of Touring Exhibitions seminar.

TEG Researcher Charlotte Dew will be giving a talk on the state of UK touring exhibitions practice today at next month’s Museums + Heritage Show on Wednesday 18 May at 10am. You can register for the show for free here.