A year in numbers

2021-2022 at the University of Cambridge Museums & Botanic Garden

The University of Cambridge Museums work to deepen understanding of our world, inspire new thinking, and address local and global challenges.

Explore our 2021-22 in numbers.

695,539

visitors across 9 sites



3,290,000+ unique views online

View of a gallery wall. Historic black-and-white photographs are linked by a red design. In the centre a video screen plays a film.

[Re:] Entanglements, Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology. “[The exhibition was] moving, visceral, heartening.” - Visitor; "“Moving, creative, and thought provoking, it raises difficult and unsettling questions around Britain’s colonisation of West Africa.” - Peer reviewer

[Re:] Entanglements, Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology. “[The exhibition was] moving, visceral, heartening.” - Visitor; "“Moving, creative, and thought provoking, it raises difficult and unsettling questions around Britain’s colonisation of West Africa.” - Peer reviewer

Two photographs of a woman with facial palsy hang on the wall above two classical plaster casts

A Face in Time, Museum of Classical Archaeology

A Face in Time, Museum of Classical Archaeology

Six tiny gold objects sit on a black background

Gold of the Great Steppe, The Fitzwilliam Museum. Visitors told us: “I was enthralled. I enjoyed it so much I went twice.” “It was wonderful to learn about people form an age and part of the world I knew nothing about.”

Gold of the Great Steppe, The Fitzwilliam Museum. Visitors told us: “I was enthralled. I enjoyed it so much I went twice.” “It was wonderful to learn about people form an age and part of the world I knew nothing about.”

sculpture of three rows of porcelain birds, laid out like specimens with their wings folded together and tags on their legs

Breaking Point, Museum of Zoology.

Breaking Point, Museum of Zoology.

View of a wooden display cabinet in the museum containing fragments of the fossil and photographs of the scientists who discovered it. A wall hanging on the wall and floor gives a sense of the huge size of the millipede

Arthropleura: The World's Largest Millipede at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences

Arthropleura: The World's Largest Millipede at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences

A photograph of Dame Magadalene Odundo in front of four large ceramic vases

Magdalene Odundo in Cambridge, The Fitzwilliam Museum. Visitors told us: “I found her work and her inspiration fascinating and wonderful.” “Brilliant Magdalene Odundo exhibition which then led us to explore more of the ceramic displays. Loved it all.”

Magdalene Odundo in Cambridge, The Fitzwilliam Museum. Visitors told us: “I found her work and her inspiration fascinating and wonderful.” “Brilliant Magdalene Odundo exhibition which then led us to explore more of the ceramic displays. Loved it all.”

Ai Weiwei stands in the middle of a gallery at Kettle's Yard. with display cases exhibiting sculptures and prints along the back wall

Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt at Kettle's Yard. Visitors told us: “It will leave a lasting impression on me.” “Well put together, thought provoking, and well worth our trip to Cambridge”

Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt at Kettle's Yard. Visitors told us: “It will leave a lasting impression on me.” “Well put together, thought provoking, and well worth our trip to Cambridge”

View through a bright green tunnel into the Fitzwilliam Museum's Gallery 3, where a David Hockney painting of a man sitting opposite a vase of tulips is exhibited

Hockney's Eye, The Fitzwilliam Museum. ***** “Makes Constable look like a wet hanky.” – Jonathan Jones, The Guardian. 

Hockney's Eye, The Fitzwilliam Museum. ***** “Makes Constable look like a wet hanky.” – Jonathan Jones, The Guardian. 

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View of a gallery wall. Historic black-and-white photographs are linked by a red design. In the centre a video screen plays a film.

[Re:] Entanglements, Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology. “[The exhibition was] moving, visceral, heartening.” - Visitor; "“Moving, creative, and thought provoking, it raises difficult and unsettling questions around Britain’s colonisation of West Africa.” - Peer reviewer

[Re:] Entanglements, Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology. “[The exhibition was] moving, visceral, heartening.” - Visitor; "“Moving, creative, and thought provoking, it raises difficult and unsettling questions around Britain’s colonisation of West Africa.” - Peer reviewer

Two photographs of a woman with facial palsy hang on the wall above two classical plaster casts

A Face in Time, Museum of Classical Archaeology

A Face in Time, Museum of Classical Archaeology

Six tiny gold objects sit on a black background

Gold of the Great Steppe, The Fitzwilliam Museum. Visitors told us: “I was enthralled. I enjoyed it so much I went twice.” “It was wonderful to learn about people form an age and part of the world I knew nothing about.”

Gold of the Great Steppe, The Fitzwilliam Museum. Visitors told us: “I was enthralled. I enjoyed it so much I went twice.” “It was wonderful to learn about people form an age and part of the world I knew nothing about.”

sculpture of three rows of porcelain birds, laid out like specimens with their wings folded together and tags on their legs

Breaking Point, Museum of Zoology.

Breaking Point, Museum of Zoology.

View of a wooden display cabinet in the museum containing fragments of the fossil and photographs of the scientists who discovered it. A wall hanging on the wall and floor gives a sense of the huge size of the millipede

Arthropleura: The World's Largest Millipede at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences

Arthropleura: The World's Largest Millipede at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences

A photograph of Dame Magadalene Odundo in front of four large ceramic vases

Magdalene Odundo in Cambridge, The Fitzwilliam Museum. Visitors told us: “I found her work and her inspiration fascinating and wonderful.” “Brilliant Magdalene Odundo exhibition which then led us to explore more of the ceramic displays. Loved it all.”

Magdalene Odundo in Cambridge, The Fitzwilliam Museum. Visitors told us: “I found her work and her inspiration fascinating and wonderful.” “Brilliant Magdalene Odundo exhibition which then led us to explore more of the ceramic displays. Loved it all.”

Ai Weiwei stands in the middle of a gallery at Kettle's Yard. with display cases exhibiting sculptures and prints along the back wall

Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt at Kettle's Yard. Visitors told us: “It will leave a lasting impression on me.” “Well put together, thought provoking, and well worth our trip to Cambridge”

Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt at Kettle's Yard. Visitors told us: “It will leave a lasting impression on me.” “Well put together, thought provoking, and well worth our trip to Cambridge”

View through a bright green tunnel into the Fitzwilliam Museum's Gallery 3, where a David Hockney painting of a man sitting opposite a vase of tulips is exhibited

Hockney's Eye, The Fitzwilliam Museum. ***** “Makes Constable look like a wet hanky.” – Jonathan Jones, The Guardian. 

Hockney's Eye, The Fitzwilliam Museum. ***** “Makes Constable look like a wet hanky.” – Jonathan Jones, The Guardian. 

Large yellow circle with text: 22,219 participants in events, community and family sessions
Two white circles illustrate that of 22,219 participants in events, community and family sessions, 11039 were children and young people and 11,180 were adults. Two images of visitors looking at a painting and a small toddler on a sunny lawn outside a museum.
Blue circle with text saying 27,080 participants in learning sessions
Two white circles illustrate that of the 27,080 participants in learning sessions, 20,710 were nursery and school children and 6,370 were adults. Image of two school pupils in uniform wearing paper plague masks.

3 major challenges facing the world today

This year saw the launch of Collections-Connections-Communities. This interdisciplinary strategic research initiative brings together experts and practitioners from across the University's collections and research community to tackle three of the key themes of our time:

Society and Identity, addressing political extremism, racism and inequality

Health and Wellbeing, improving physical, mental and emotional health

Environment and Sustainability, addressing biodiversity loss and unsustainable living.

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We responded to 2723 research inquiries & facilitated 1001 research visits
Graphic illustrating our total loans out: 66 within the University, 130 within England, 53 to rest of UK and 53 to international destinations.
Loans include to Refashioning Masculinities exhibition at the V&A and to Petersfield Museum in Hampshire
Graphic with a member of the stores move team on a ladder next to high shelves
Graphic showing the East of England with the caption 163 Accredited Museums
Graphic illustrating further details about UCM sector leadership including 14 museums supported by the Regional Conservator and UCM staff leading 4 SHARE Networks

Object loans

We loan museum objects to partners across the world, supporting for community access, exhibitions and research.

The Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology and the Sedgwick Museum continued with major stores moves projects this year, making their collections more accessible to communities and researchers.

The teams have been improving the documentation and packaging of the objects in store. Follow their progress on our Collections in Action blog.

Sector Support

There are 163 Accredited museums in the East of England, with the highest proportion of "micro-museums" (receiving fewer than 10,000 visitors a year) in the country (51%).

We play a national and regional sector support role, working closely with SHARE Museums East, our regional museums development provider.

We are enormously grateful to all our staff, volunteers, partners and funders who enabled us to continue to deliver our mission this year.

You can find out more about all of our work on our Collections in Action blog.

The University of Cambridge Museums are:

Museum of Zoology
Whipple Museum of the History of Science
Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
The Polar Museum
Kettle's Yard
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Museum of Classical Archaeology
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

together with

Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

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