The Art Explora Mobile Museum in the United Kingdom
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The Art Explora Mobile Museum is a unique truck touring artworks from national collections, on a mission to make great art accessible to everyone, everywhere – across towns, villages and remote locations. It offers a programme of exhibition visits and educational, participatory art workshops for schools and local communities.
Art Explora UK and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport announce the United Kingdom's first mobile museum
“There remains a growing gap between those who have access to museums, galleries and arts venues, and those who are left behind. Art Explora is trying to bridge this divide by taking art into the heart of communities and sharing our rich national collections more widely. The new UK Mobile Museum is a stunning piece of design and engineering which will itself be a source of wonder and inspiration wherever it goes. A tardis for the 21st century!” - Jemima Montagu, UK Director, Art Explora UK
Art Explora is building the United Kingdom’s first custom-built mobile museum, designed by the award-winning studio Ab Rogers Design, with financial support from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). Manufactured by Telford-based Torton Bodies Limited, the truck will begin its inaugural tour in early 2027.
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The Art Explora UK Mobile Museum will join the fleet of Mobile Museum’s which tour year-round in France .The concept builds on a proven model that has been running for over 15 years. It will be a state-of-the-art vehicle with three hydraulic pods that pop out to create extended gallery and storage space inside. The warm wood-lined galleries are built to the highest museum specifications, ensuring optimal temperature, humidity, lighting control and security while in situ and on the move.
Rising to the challenge of designing the first ever UK Mobile Museum, Ab Rogers Design have nodded to British design history with a John Soane Museum-inspired opening panel to extend the wall space and offer an exciting reveal moment for children and visitors. There is also a comfortable black box video room for watching film and artist moving image. The design by Ab Rogers Design draws on the excitement of the circus arriving in town. The colourful and exuberant exterior gives way to a highly flexible interior, ready to tour Turner and Constable through to Warhol, Emin and Shonibare, to show wall-based work as well as sculpture, photography and all forms of digital media.
“It is not every day you get the opportunity to design a mobile museum. We wanted to capture the feeling of the circus arriving in town, creating an explosive burst of energy and anticipation that contains and nurtures extraordinary, curated collections. More mobile, more vibrant and more alive than any other museum, it’s a project that’s very close to my heart.” Ab Rogers, Founder and Director, Ab Rogers Design
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The truck will be manufactured by Torton Bodies Limited, a family business with nearly ninety years of expertise in bespoke vehicle design and production. The manufacturers have paid close attention to energy efficiency both in production and operations, using vegetable fuels and mains power where possible.
“We are thrilled to be chosen by Art Explora to manufacture their first UK-based mobile art museum. Providing a wide community with access to art is something we are very excited and proud to be a part of, and we look forward to working with the team as the project comes to fruition.” James Andrews, Managing Director, Torton Bodies Limited
The Mobile Museum addresses the social, economic and geographic barriers that prevent many people from participating in the arts. It sets up within walking distance of local schools and community centres in areas identified as having high deprivation and low cultural engagement. Over 36–40 weeks of touring annually, it will visit 40–45 locations, reaching 25,000 visitors and serving 130–150 schools each year.
In 2023 and 2024, a French MuMo truck toured the UK in collaboration with Tate, and a third pilot tour is taking place with the Government Art Collection from 15 June – 13 September 2026.
“I am determined that great art isn't just for the few but for everyone, no matter where they live. The Government Art Collection belongs to the whole country, and this tour is an exciting step towards making that a reality.” Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy
Over 2027–2029, the new Art Explora UK Mobile Museum will tour works from three major national collections each year, beginning with the Government Art Collection — a body with over 15,000 British artworks spanning 125 years, representing the breadth of the UK’s history, identity and values. Further museum partners include the National Portrait Gallery, Leeds Art Gallery, Birmingham Museums Trust and National Museums Liverpool.
Art Explora Mobile Museum 2026 Tour in collaboration with the Government Art Collection
15 June – 13 September 2026
Throughout the summer of 2026, the Art Explora Mobile Museum is touring an exhibition from the Government Art Collection across the Southwest and Northwest of England. Artworks from the national collection will be presented in the heart of communities, with the Mobile Museum stopping in locations stretching from Plymouth to Preston. The tour is a collaboration between Art Explora and the Government Art Collection.
MuMo (‘Mobile Museum’) was founded by Ingrid Brochard, designed by matali crasset, with the support of the Foundation Daniel et Nina Carasso.
Itinerary
15 – 20 June: St Budeaux (Plymouth)
22 – 27 June: Barnstaple
29 June – 2 July: Torpoint
3 – 4 July: Port Eliot
For all school reservation requests, please email mobilemuseum@artexplora.org
Further itinerary details to be shared soon!
Shaped by the sea
What, as humans, is our relationship to the sea? Over the centuries, many artists have explored this question through different subject matter, themes and media. The sea, while fascinating us, remains mysterious and elusive, sometimes tranquil and inviting, at other times, tumultuous and unpredictable.
Our voyage begins with a look at the complex histories that have shaped the UK’s coastlines and ports. Painters in the 18th and 19th centuries documented scenes of a growing navy and trading routes, as well as picturesque scenes of life in harbours and ports. Romantic painters, like J. M. W. Turner and Thomas Luny, wanted to express the power of nature shown in stormy seas and shipwrecks.
Several contemporary artists in this exhibition including Lubaina Himid, Zineb Sedira and EVEWRIGHT, reflect on how these complex histories of exploration, trade, migration and empire have informed British identity. Their work addresses the social impact of our maritime history, inviting us to question not only how the sea continues to shape our coastlines, but also ourselves as individuals and as communities.
In the 20th century, many artists have been attracted by the quality of light around our coastlines. Bridget Riley and Tess Jaray adopted abstract imagery to distil their personal experiences of sea life, light and mood. Others, like Anya Gallaccio and Emma Stibbon, more recently, draw attention to the threat to the seas and oceans caused by climate change.
"Shaped by the Sea 2026 " was curated by Dr Laura Popoviciu, Government Art Collection.
Artists
Roger Ackling, Simon Bayliss, Samuel and Nathaniel Buck, Chila Kumari Singh Burman, Mohini Chandra, EVEWRIGHT, Anya Gallaccio, Lubaina Himid, Tess Jaray, Thomas Luny, Will Maclean, Zethu Maseko, Paul Nash, William Pye, Bridget Riley, Ro Robertson, Zineb Sedira, Emma Stibbon and Joseph William Mallord Turner.
All artworks are on loan from the Government Art Collection except for *Tall Tales and Wonder Rooms * by Mohini Chandra, which is on loan from The Box Plymouth.
Government Art Collection
Established in 1899, the Government Art Collection (GAC) is a national collection of historic, modern and contemporary British art that is displayed in government buildings in the UK and around the world. These locations include 10 & 11 Downing Street and the residences and offices of British Ambassadors and High Commissioners in over 125 countries worldwide.
The works are seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, making a powerful contribution to cultural diplomacy. Through an expansive public engagement programme, the GAC works with partners in the UK and internationally to bring artworks into the heart of communities and to support creative exchange and skills development for young people.
Acknowledgments
Art Explora is grateful to Gallagher and Hiscox for providing the insurance for this project. We would like to thank the Mobile Museum team at Art Explora France: Ingrid Brochard, Lucie Avril and Clémence Renaud; Eliza Gluckman, Nicola Freeman and the whole team at the Government Art Collection. A special thank you to Victoria Pomery and the team at The Box Plymouth, and Jane Prior at the Arts University Plymouth.
We are grateful for all the technical assistance to Cathal Elliot (Art Handling Manager) Tate Liverpool, Kate Perks (Preventive Conservator) Tate, Orbis Conservation Ltd, Fletcher’s Gallery Services and Annette Elliott-Dunn, Will Bishop at BJ Industries Ltd, Crown Fine Art, Jenny Rogers, Stuart Wrenn and their team at Momart including Sam Wood and William Erwee.
Thank you Alam Minshall and the team at Stagetruck for logistics support throughout the tour, and Valentina Sabucco at Arts Council England for her continued advice and support.
This tour would not be possible without the support of local and district councils including: Plymouth City Council, North Devon Council, Exeter City Council, Exmouth Town Council, Torpoint Town Council, Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council, Preston City Council and Darwen Town Council.
Thank you Kings Tamerton Community Centre, Carbeile Junior School and Port Eliot house for hosting us!
2026 Mobile Museum Team in the UK
Art Explora UK: Jemima Montagu (Director), Cherie Silver (Head of Mobile Museum), Evie Baldwin (Marketing and Communications Officer)
Government Art Collection
Nicola Freeman (Head of Curatorial & Public Engagement), Laura Popoviciu (Curator), Emma Smith (Senior Registrar), Matthew Lindop (Registrar), Andrew Parratt (Head of Collection Care), Tony Harris (Digital Media and Photography Manager), James Morrison (Senior Collection Coordinator), Christopher Christophorou (Technical Manager), Anthony Lindsay (Technician), Oliver Smith (Technician), Leighanne Manesi (Digital Engagement Manager), Cherry Irvine (Digital Engagement Officer).
Learning consultant: Anna Boland
Evaluator: Denise Wright
Learning facilitators: Leon Clements, Jimmy Croft, Alice Cunniffe
Drivers: Rachel Lunam-Cowan, Franco Derosa, Huw Jones, Tony Nichols
Design: Modern Activity
Soup, Socks, and Spiders! The Art of the EverydayExhibition
From 19 February to 11 May 2024 the Art Explora Mobile Museum in collaboration with Tate and MuMo toured the exhibition Soup, Socks and Spiders! Art of the Everyday across the Midlands and North. On this 12-week tour, the Mobile Museum hosted over 8000 visitors from communities across Ashfield, Nuneaton, Stoke-on-Trent, Tarporley, Walsall and Wigan.
Soup, Socks and Spiders!
Art of the Everyday
This exhibition brings together historic and contemporary works of art from Tate’s collection which present everyday objects in unexpected ways, making the ordinary extraordinary. From Andy Warhol’s celebrated Campbell’s soup can to a spider found by Cornelia Parker in the Tower of London, Art of the Everyday encourages us to look more closely at the world around us.
Artists have always depicted objects from their everyday lives. The genre of ‘still life’ – assembling a group of items like jugs, fruit and flowers on a table to draw or paint – tells us what objects artists considered important or interesting to record. In the early 20th century, as modern art was developing, artists started to use household items in their work. These ordinary objects were cheap and readily available, allowing them to experiment, challenge expectations of what is considered art, and test out new ways of seeing the world.
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Tate Liverpool and the Mobile Museum
About Tate Liverpool
Tate Liverpool is one of the city's most iconic cultural institutions, located on the Royal Albert Dock. The gallery houses part of the national collection of modern and contemporary art, as do Tate Modern, Tate Britain and Tate St Ives. Tate Liverpool reaches out to all communities in the region with projects such as the Mobile Museum, which enables the gallery to tell the story of art through the prism of the city of Liverpool and the north of the country.
Radical Landscapes Exhibition
First ever UK tour :
In Spring 2023, the Art Explora Mobile Museum in collaboration with Tate and MuMo toured artworks from the Tate Radical Landscapes exhibition around the Liverpool City Region.
This was the first time the Tate had set up such an initiative to bring works from the national collection directly to the public. It was also the first time the MuMo had been deployed in the United Kingdom. Over the course of 10 weeks, the mobile museum visited various locations in St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton, Wirral, Halton, and Liverpool.
The exhibition on board the Art Explora Mobile Museum included a selection of works from Radical Landscapes, which was first shown at Tate Liverpool in Summer 2022.
The exhibition featured works by JMW Turner, John Constable, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, John Nash, Jeremy Deller and many more. The Mobile Museum also included artworks by leading contemporary artists such as 2022 Turner Prize winner Veronica Ryan and shortlisted artist, Ingrid Pollard. This project is supported by Art Explora with public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
The 2023 MuMo x Tate tour in numbers :
- 4036 visitors
- 10 locations
- 40 schools
Why is it important?
For many people in the UK, art galleries and museums remain inaccessible. The main barriers for schools are transport costs, staffing and time available for external trips. For families, cost and travel distance remain the main obstacles. The Mobile Museum makes art accessible for all by bringing the artwork directly to audiences wherever they are.
How does it work?
The Mobile Museum sets up in the heart of communities, from the suburbs of big cities to rural towns and villages, outside leisure centres, libraries, supermarkets, schools, parks, football stadiums, sports tracks, town halls, and market squares. Once there, the trained learning facilitators guide school and community groups through thoughtfully curated exhibitions, creative arts workshops and local events and performances.
Members of the general public are encouraged to drop into the exhibition during public opening hours, where they are welcomed by the team.
About the Art Explora Mobile Museum
Head over to our main page to find out more about the Art Explora mobile museum and cinema!
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