Following major capital investment, The Box in Plymouth opened during the global pandemic of 2020. Not a particularly auspicious time for a cultural organisation to launch, but as a catalyst for place-based regeneration, this was just the start of our organisational journey to be relevant, to create impact for audiences and to support placemaking.
The drive to establish The Box was part of an ambitious new vision for Plymouth, a city with low levels of cultural engagement and significant pockets of deprivation.
Years of work by many dedicated individuals, visionary cross-party political support and significant investment by Plymouth City Council, Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Coastal Communities Fund have resulted in an extraordinary hybrid museum, gallery and archive for south-west England.
The Box has gone from strength to strength, welcoming nearly a million visits in a city of 260,000. About 60% of visitors are local, while each year more than 25,000 of them have never been to a cultural organisation before, indicating that audiences are taking the venue to their heart.
Plymouth is an amazing place located in an outstanding waterfront location, although perceptions of it haven’t always been positive. A strong military presence has dominated for centuries, while more recently, the reconstruction of the city centre following the devastation of the second world war informs its identity.
This century, culture has been a key driver of the city’s transformation, although sectors such as education, defence, marine and health are active and important.
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Plymouth sees investing in culture as a mechanism to tackling issues such as economic growth, raising aspirations and improving community cohesion. The city boasts significant cultural infrastructure including the Theatre Royal Plymouth, Real Ideas and Karst, much of which has been created in the past decade during a sustained period of austerity.
Plymouth Culture, an arts and cultural development agency, works collaboratively with the sector to deliver on a 10-year culture plan. There is a supportive and enabling environment within the city and an ambitious vision to make things happen and to create change.
I’ve worked in areas around the UK that have embraced culture-led regeneration. My experiences in Margate, Liverpool and Plymouth tell me that it isn’t always straightforward and that it takes time.
It requires vision, imagination and ambition. Regeneration is about people and engagement. It is about partnership and collaboration, creativity and dynamism.
The opportunities for The Box to have an impact are starting to be realised. We’ve been visited by 80% of the city’s schools, as well as residents from every ward.
We’ve developed a new vision, mission and values, and are analysing data about current and potential audiences to inform our decision-making and to further broaden our reach. More of the collection is on show than ever before and we are working closely with artists and audiences on the programme.
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New organisations take time to evolve and grow; they need investment and, in my view, succeed when they are embedded in place. Culture shouldn’t be expected to resolve all the challenging socioeconomic issues that can be seen in towns and cities across the UK, but it is a vital part of the mix.
Our ambition is to be “nationally known and locally loved” – and we recognise there is still much work to do. Building a brand takes time; as does changing perceptions of a place. Creating trust to enable more people to experience culture is ongoing.
What worked in other cities doesn’t necessarily work here, but seeking to ensure that The Box is a social and learning space, is relevant and engenders curiosity is part of our mission.
Creating the opportunities for individuals to thrive and growing civic pride are very much part of what The Box is determined to deliver.
Victoria Pomery is the chief executive of The Box, Plymouth, and was the founding director of the Turner Contemporary, Margate