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"Suffragettes" one of the latest telephone box museum exhibits

Museums of Antiquities and Contemporary Art

Sidmouth's town square is home to two iconic red telephone boxes. Both have been repurposed to add a new cultural dimension to this busy part of town. Now ying and yang art spaces for 'old' objects of curiosity and 'new' mini contemporary artworks. With the help of Artist David Shrigley and local historian Barbara Farquharson and others, we are curating a programme of museum exhibitions.

Sidmouth Telephone Kiosks - Art in Unusual Spaces

Each telephone box has been repaired, repainted and fitted out with flexible display mechanisms and lighting to create the Micro Museum of Contemporary Art curated by David Shrigley and the Micro Museum of Antiquities curated by Barbara Farquharson and others.  Working with a range of artists and community groups and organisations, curios and artworks will be sourced for installation to establish a rolling programme of themed exhibitions.

Sidmouth’s telephone boxes are the K6 model, constructed in cast iron with a concrete base, they were commissioned by the General Post Office in 1935 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the coronation of King George, and designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

  • CODEX - Digital and Print

    12th December, 2024 - 28th February, 2025

    A selection of experimental work created by Sidmouth College Year 10 art and photography students on display at Sidmouth's telephone box art spaces; the Museum of Contemporary Art and Museum of Antiquities.  

    The work is in conversation with the collaborative CODEX artwork at Sidmouth Wallspace.

  • Suffragettes/Suffragists

    24th July - 20th September, 2024

    Suffragettes and Suffragists are twin installations which give an insight to the powerful work and campaigns led by women, and the legacy of their actions both locally and nationally.  

    Through peaceful means and direct action both approaches were instrumental in advancing rights and education for women.

  • Ring Ring/Beep Beep

    12th April - 23rd July, 2024

    Ring Ring and Beep Beep are a pair of audio and visual works for two telephone boxes proposed by the artist David Bellingham.

    An audio recording of local voices speaking the words ‘ring ring’ and an audio recording of local voices speaking the words ‘beep beep’ accompanied by visual posters of the handwritten words Ring Ring and Beep Beep.

  • Triton/Reflections on the Sea

    18th November - 31st December, 2023

    Two new exhibitions by Zac Greening and Rose Adams, inspired by powerful, mythical sea stories and our existence on this watery planet

  • Witches Away/Witches Present

    18th October, 2023

    Our second twin exhibition for the telephone kiosk museums open from 18th October coinciding with the changing of the season and that spooky time of year.

  • Wilfrid Wood’s Holidaymakers/Pelham Puppets

    7th August - 18th October, 2023

    Artist-Sculptor Wilfrid Wood's satirical plasticine-head portraits featured in the first exhibition in The Museum of Contemporary Art.

David Shrigley

Artist (Founding Trustee)

Studied at Glasgow School of Art, best known for his drawings: often witty, funny, sarcastic, in tune observations about life and the universe that help to make us feel better. His sculpture Really Good was installed on Trafalgar Square's Fourth plinth 2016-2018. David received an OBE in 2020.

Barbara Farquharson

Curator

Barbara was a Professor of Anthropology at University College London. Over the last 30 years her work with the Branscombe Project - a community project "Where history meets memory" has included, making recordings, writing books and lately she has created "The Smallest Museum in the Southwest" featuring a dozen boxes telling the story of Branscombe.