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‘National treasures’ travel to regional museums

Arts Professional
2 min read

‘National treasures’ from major museum collections will travel to smaller institutions across the UK in the latest round of the Weston Loan Programme.

The grant programme, run by the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Art Fund, supports the costs of securing object loans – such as transportation, conservation, and community engagement.

The 11 loans announced in this round include works by the Suffolk-born painter John Constable from national collections such as Tate and the Government Art Collection. They will appear in three “landmark exhibitions” next year at Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich to mark the 250th anniversary of the artist’s birth.

Meanwhile, sketches and watercolours by JMW Turner inspired by his travels through South Wales will be shown at Parc Howard and Carmarthenshire Museum in 2026 and 2027.

And objects from the Imperial War Museum – including posters and a rarely seen oil painting – will join those from Lancashire County Museums Service for an exhibition this year at Showtown in Blackpool to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

In addition, the Weston Loan Programme has awarded research and development grants of £321,014 to Dales Countryside Museum in Yorkshire and Suffolk Archives. Since the scheme began in 2017, more than 100 organisations have received almost £1.9m.