Media release: 11 February 2026
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A new exhibition exploring the role, impact and legacy of women in art to visit Penlee, Worcester, Fife
- Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art is a new touring exhibition exploring the role, impact and legacy of women in art.
- A unique collaboration between Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum and Kirkcaldy Galleries, Making Her Markbrings together over 50 works by women artists from their respective collections.
- Making Her Mark celebrates notable female artists from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, with extraordinary works by Elizabeth Forbes, Laura Knight, Dod Procter, Caroline Walker, Tracey Emin and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham amongst many more.
- The first exhibition to open as part of Art Fund’s Going Places programme, a series of exhibitions touring the UK, Making Her Mark opens at Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance on 30 April 2026. Find out more: https://penleehouse.org.uk/exhibition/making-her-mark-a-celebration-of-women-in-art/
Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art is a new touring exhibition exploring the role, impact and legacy of women in art which opens first at Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance on 30 April 2026 until 27 September 2026.
The exhibition has been developed through a unique collaboration between Penlee House Gallery & Museum, (owned and operated by Penzance Council), Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, (part of Museums Worcestershire) and Kirkcaldy Galleries (part of cultural charity OnFife). Working together under the name Long Distance Connections, the three museums have brought together over 50 works by women artists from their respective collections.
Making Her Mark is the first exhibition to open as part of Art Fund’s £5.36million Going Places programme, a series of exhibitions touring the UK. The largest project of its kind, Going Places brings together 20 museums across all four nations to share and celebrate the UK’s remarkable collections in collaboration with local communities.
With works selected from all three collections, Long Distance Connections begin their collaboration by celebrating notable female artists from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, with extraordinary works by Elizabeth Forbes, Laura Knight, Dod Procter, Caroline Walker, Tracey Emin and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham amongst many more. Highlights include Elizabeth Forbes’ A Zandvoort Fishergirl (1884), Dod Procter’s Portrait of Eileen Mayo (1920 -1930), Wilhelmina Barns-Graham’s Gurnards Head, No.2 (1947) and Caroline Walker’s Bathroom, Room 608 (2018).
A central focus of Going Places is for museums to collaborate with communities on each exhibition, particularly those from under-represented groups. Penlee House Gallery & Museum has been working with care experienced young people, supported by Carefree Cornwall, a charity which works with young people in and leaving care across Cornwall. Through a series of creative workshops led by local artists Elizabeth Howell and Kate Turner, young people responded to the artworks in the exhibition, explored artistic techniques and discussed issues around gender equality. Their artworks will be displayed within the exhibition, reflecting their views and hopes for a fairer future.
Katie Herbert, Curator Penlee House Gallery & Museum said on behalf of the Long Distance Connections team:
“From historic to contemporary artworks the collaboration between Penlee, Worcester and Fife has created an opportunity for our audiences to see great artworks right on their doorstep, a chance to view work they’ve never seen before alongside local favourites. Through exploring the work of women artists represented across each of our collections, Making Her Mark includes artworks from all three museums in order for us to tell new stories and bring something new to each venue. The exhibition traces how women have pushed – and often broken through – the boundaries that have long restricted their opportunities for visibility and success.”
Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said:
“Making Her Mark is a powerful example of what can happen when museums come together to share their collections and tell new stories. We’re thrilled to see this inaugural Going Places exhibition, which brings together outstanding works by remarkable women artists from across the country for audiences to enjoy. We are hugely grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Julia Rausing Trust for supporting this ambitious programme, and we encourage people from Penzance and beyond to visit the exhibition, either on this first leg or as it travels north to Worcester and Fife.”
Making Her Mark will explore a range of themes including the power of collaboration; the impact of lack of access to art academies and societies on women artists; the struggle for recognition and representation; and the significance of the self-portrait for women artists.
Each museum is working closely with young people, with a particular focus on care experienced young people. Through the project, young people are exploring and responding to the collections by creating new work and developing their own ideas for interpretation. A young people’s exchange programme will enable them to visit each partner museum, offering a valuable opportunity to experience art, culture and places beyond their usual locality, and to connect with peers from other parts of the country.
Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art opens at Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance on 30 April 2026 until 27 September 2026 before moving to Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum in January 2027 and Kirkcaldy Galleries in June 2027.
Making Her Mark is part of Going Places, an Art Fund programme made possible with lead investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Julia Rausing Trust, with additional support from a generous group of trusts, foundations and individuals. Art Fund is continuing to fundraise to reach the full potential of the programme and make the biggest impact for museums and visitors across the UK.
For further information on Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art and the first exhibition at Penlee House Gallery & Museum visit: https://penleehouse.org.uk/exhibition/making-her-mark-a-celebration-of-women-in-art/
For further information about Going Places, visit: https://www.artfund.org/explore/get-inspired/features/going-places-touring-exhibitions
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For further information contact Helen Annetts, PR on behalf of the Long Distance Connections programme via 07779 026720 or email HelenLAnnetts@hotmail.co.uk
Notes to Editors
Listings information
Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art
Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Morrab Road, Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 4HE
30 April – 27 September 2026, 10am – 5pm
Admission: Adult £8; Young People (18 – 26) £4; Children FREE; Accompanying Carers FREE; National Art Pass members FREE
The Penzance Pass enables free entry all year round for those who live in the Penzance Parish. Free entry to Friends of Penlee House and Art Fund members.
Information via: www.penleehouse.org.uk
A new exhibition exploring the role, impact and legacy of women in art.
Women have made huge impacts on the development of British art. However, they have often been underrepresented, overlooked and undervalued in their fields.
Making Her Mark celebrates notable female artists from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, with extraordinary works by Elizabeth Forbes, Laura Knight, Dod Procter, Caroline Walker, Tracey Emin and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham amongst many more.
This unique collaboration between Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, part of Museums Worcestershire and Kirkcaldy Galleries, part of cultural charity OnFife brings together over 50 works by women artists from their respective collections.
This exhibition is part of Going Places, an Art Fund programme made possible with lead support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Julia Rausing Trust, with additional support from a generous group of trusts, foundations and individual supporters. Art Fund is continuing to fundraise to reach the full potential of the programme and make the biggest impact for museums and visitors across the UK.
Long Distance Connections is made up of three museums:
Museums Worcestershire is a joint museum service operated by Worcester City Council and Worcestershire County Council. It comprises three public venues: Worcestershire County Museum at Hartlebury Castle, Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, and The Commandery, Worcester.
www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk
OnFife is a charitable trust that manages cultural services on behalf of Fife Council. These include three flagship museums and galleries and it has responsibility for more than 110,000 items, including over 1,200 works of art.
Penlee House Gallery & Museum is owned and operated by Penzance Council. Located in Penlee Park, in the heart of Penzance, the museum specialises in exhibits focused on the area’s unique cultural heritage.
Long Distance Connections is part of Going Places, a series of exhibitions touring the UK, created by museums working together in collaboration with local communities as part of a major programme from Art Fund.
Going Places brings together 20 museums from all four nations to share and celebrate the UK’s remarkable collections. With six groups of museums working together to create 12 touring exhibitions running from 2026 to 2030, the landmark £5.36 million programme is the largest of its kind.
Going Places is an Art Fund programme made possible with lead support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Julia Rausing Trust, with additional support from a generous group of trusts, foundations and individual supporters. Art Fund is continuing to fundraise to reach the full potential of the programme and make the biggest impact for museums and visitors across the UK.
Art Fund
Art Fund is the national charity for museums and galleries. For over 120 years, it has helped institutions across the UK to develop and share their collections, invest in people and expertise, grow their audiences and inspire the next generation.
Art Fund connects museums and people with great art and culture through funding, advocacy and initiatives, because access to art is vital for a healthy society. It champions the sector through the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year award – the world’s largest museum prize – and supports museum professionals through dedicated training and grant programmes.
Independent and people-powered, Art Fund is supported by 142,000 members who buy a National Art Pass, as well as generous contributions from individuals, trusts and foundations. The National Art Pass offers free or discounted entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic places in the UK, 50% off major exhibitions, a subscription to Art Quarterly magazine and Art In Your Inbox newsletter.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
The Julia Rausing Trust
The Julia Rausing Trust has been established in memory of the late British philanthropist Julia Rausing, (née Delves-Broughton), who died in 2024.
The Julia Rausing Trust will see £100 million donated to charities and organisations in its first year and annually thereafter.
Julia Rausing co-founded The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust in 2014. She was widely known for her unwavering commitment to philanthropy and her impactful contributions to a wide range of UK charitable causes. She was instrumental in building the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust into one of the largest philanthropic funds in the country, donating £400 million to causes across Health, Welfare, and the Arts, primarily within the UK.
The Julia Rausing Trust is a registered charity (number 1213572).