An all-women exhibition titled 'Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art' has opened at Penlee House Gallery & Museum in Penzance, Cornwall, as the first stop on a three-part UK tour. The show features over 60 works by female artists from the 19th century to the present day, including Tracey Emin, Barbara Hepworth, Elizabeth Forbes, and Laura Knight. It is a collaboration between Penlee House, Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, and Kirkcaldy Galleries, curated jointly by the three venues with local leadership from Penlee House deputy director Katie Herbert. The exhibition is part of Art Fund's £5.36 million Going Places programme and will travel to Worcester and Kirkcaldy in 2026 and 2027.
The exhibition matters because it directly addresses the historical underrepresentation and undervaluation of women artists in British art, using regional collections to highlight their contributions. By touring across three venues and involving community engagement with care-experienced young people, it amplifies access to art outside major metropolitan centers and challenges institutional biases. The show also strengthens connections between regional museums and underscores the growing national and international movement to champion female artists, making Penzance a key destination for art lovers this summer.