Crossing Borders to engage People through Art: Education and Outreach at Southampton City Art Gallery, 1974–2008

Southampton City Art Gallery is a much admired place of energy and activity. This article investigates the ambitious educational provision developed by Southampton’s art gallery for three decades from the appointment of its first Keeper of Education in 1974. It aims to record a significant moment in the history of UK museum education and to consider approaches that may be useful for museums today as they seek to re-connect audiences with art after a testing period of non-physical access due to the global pandemic. It shares new research undertaken for the exhibition, Creating a National Collection: The Partnership between Southampton City Art Gallery and The National Gallery (Southampton, 28 May-5 September 2021), the major outcome of an Art Fund Curatorial Traineeship project between the two institutions (2019–21)