We are delighted to announce that we are part of a new consortium that will bring together the buildings, collections and stories embodied by seven diverse Cornish museums to drive creativity, collaboration and cultural awareness for residents and visitors alike. Funded by Arts Council England, mc⁷ is an innovative three-year project to develop a dynamic new model of collective working and programming for these museums.

mc⁷ will be made up of Bodmin Keep, Falmouth Art Gallery, Museum of Cornish Life, Penlee House, PK Porthcurno, Royal Cornwall Museum and Wheal Martyn. The project will enable funding of £1.86 million over three years from Arts Council England to reach the museums and their users directly with maximum impact.

Each museum represents a different aspect of Cornwall’s rich history and provides a series of unique lenses through which to discover and understand different parts of a distinctive story of Cornish identity. Each museum is at the heart of its own community and has an intimate understanding of the unique priorities and challenges that are faced.

Annette MacTavish, Director of the Museum of Cornish Life in Helston Life says,

“Together as seven museums we are excited about sharing the many stories of Cornwall. We each care for unique and special collections in unique and special places. The support from Arts Council England is significant as it allows us to welcome more people, in new ways, to each of our museums. At the Museum of Cornish Life, the funding will allow us to work with creative partners to bring more young people into the museum and continue to support our wellbeing programmes for all ages.”

Each of the seven museums has sustainability embedded in their engagement; inspiring climate action, promoting environmental literacy and empowering people to live sustainably. This includes fast fashion workshops at Falmouth Art Gallery, community beach cleans at PK Porthcurno, workshops in sustainable living skills at Bodmin Keep-Cornwall’s Army Museum and exploring post mining environmental themes in Wheal Martyn’s education programme.

Some partners have specific environmental programmes such as PK Porthcurno’s award-winning ‘Planet PK’ which embeds environmental awareness in every aspect of the museum’s work. At Falmouth Art Gallery, a young person’s environmental group will move from a focus on creativity to influencing the gallery’s operations and Planet PK Champions provides activities and resources for families to make positive change together. Measures will also be taken to future-proof our historic buildings and reduce carbon impact.

Phil Gibby, Area Director, Arts Council South West says,

“We are thrilled about the future prospects of these seven museums in Cornwall, as they embark on an exciting vision for collaborative programming. This initiative will enrich Cornish communities and visitors and provide a boost to the local economy. From Wheal Martyn’s fascinating clay mine to PK Porthcurno’s dedicated space for global communications, and the unique collections found in Truro, Penzance, Helston, Falmouth and Bodmin – based galleries and museums, each tell a distinct part of Cornwall’s story. We proudly invest in mc7 and eagerly anticipate the outcomes of this renewed partnership, that will beautifully showcase Cornwall’s unique cultural identity for generations to come.”

Julia Twomlow, Creative Director and CEO of PK Porthcurno says,

“mc⁷ represents an exciting new phase in Cornwall’s long history of collaborative working across the cultural sector. Leadership in our museums is strong and the spirit of mutual support and cooperation is inspiring. We are grateful to Arts Council England for backing this initiative and enabling the mc⁷ partners to work individually and together to better serve our diverse communities and represent Cornwall’s rich history.”