The Legacies of Enslavement Special Initiative congratulates The Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge on being named one of five finalists for the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026.
The award is the world’s largest museum prize, recognising inspiring projects and activity from museums across the UK. This year’s judges are considering museums that are “pushing the boundaries of what a museum is or can achieve”. The 2026 award recognises activity delivered between autumn 2024 and winter 2025.
Exhibitions exploring slavery, resistance and their legacies in art and history
During the qualifying period, the Fitzwilliam Museum presented a series of exhibitions connected to the aims of the Legacies of Enslavement Special Initiative, encouraging audiences to reflect on histories of enslavement, resistance and their ongoing legacies.
Rise Up: Resistance, Revolution, Abolition examined the campaign to abolish the British slave trade between 1750 and 1850, highlighting stories of resistance and abolition.
Black Atlantic: Power, People, Resistance explored Cambridge’s links to the transatlantic slave trade and the role cultural institutions played in these histories.
The museum also presented Glenn Ligon: All Over The Place, exploring themes of race, identity and history through the work of contemporary artist Glenn Ligon.
The Black Atlantic exhibition in the Fitzwilliam Museum galleries
Beyond the gallery, the museum partnered with Cambridge United Football Club and local charity Romsey Mill to co-create a limited-edition football kit inspired by Joy Labinjo’s An Eighteenth-Century Family (2022), depicting abolitionist Olaudah Equiano and his family.
A University of Cambridge news story explored the collaboration in more detail.
Impact and recognition
These exhibitions and partnerships formed part of the Fitzwilliam Museum’s wider programme during the award period, demonstrating how work on the histories and legacies of enslavement can contribute to research, interpretation, artistic engagement and community collaboration, while resonating with diverse audiences.
We warmly congratulate The Fitzwilliam Museum on this recognition as a finalist for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026 and wish the team every success in the final stage of the competition.