A new exhibition titled 'Making Her Mark' opens at Penlee House in Penzance, Cornwall, featuring works by prominent British female artists such as Tracey Emin, Barbara Hepworth, Laura Knight, Elizabeth Forbes, and Gillian Ayres. The show is a collaboration between Penlee House, Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, and Kirkcaldy Galleries in Fife, Scotland, with each contributing more than 20 works. It is the first exhibition launched under Art Fund's £5 million 'Going Places' programme, which unites 20 museums across the UK over five years to share and celebrate their collections.
The exhibition matters because it directly addresses the historical underrepresentation of women artists in regional UK galleries, where male artists have long dominated collections. By bringing together works from multiple institutions, the collaboration not only highlights the barriers women have faced in the art world—such as restricted access to art schools and life classes—but also prompts participating museums to rethink their collecting policies. The show exemplifies a growing trend of cross-institutional partnerships aimed at diversifying public access to art and correcting historical imbalances in museum holdings.