Broken Frontier’s relationship with London’s Cartoon Museum goes way back to 2011 and our interview with then director Anita O’Brien. Since then I have had the pleasure of speaking at numerous events there including the ‘Sustaining Comics: What the Future Holds‘ panels and the Cartoon Museum Conference, worked with them on Small Press Day, and even seen a number of our Broken Frontier ‘Six to Watch‘ artists’ work being showcased there in ‘The Inking Woman’ exhibition.
In short it’s an incredible space with its collections, exhibitions and programming matched by its community outreach initiatives like its support for young neurodiverse creators and its young cartoonist competitions. So in its twentieth year it seems very appropriate for us to give this comics institution some extra shout-outs for the work it does in championing cartoons and comics as art forms. Below is an official press release from current director Beth Bryan for the Museum’s anniversary year but do check out their website here for more information.
The Trustees of the Cartoon Art Trust and the Director of The Cartoon Museum are delighted to announce the 20th anniversary of The Cartoon Museum.
In 2006, The Cartoon Art Trust succeeded in opening Britain’s first museum dedicated to cartoons, caricature and the comic arts. The Museum, first located on Little Russell Street and in a new location on Wells Street since 2020, boasts a unique and historically significant collection of more than 6,000 artworks and 8,000 library items telling the 300-year story of British cartooning from the Georgian era to today. We invite everyone to participate in the power of line and laughter.
The Cartoon Museum by Sam Jacob Studio. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2019
Over the last 20 years, The Cartoon Museum is proud to have:
- Welcomed more than 500,000 local, national and international visitors
- Engaged with nearly 40,000 children with our schools, learning and outreach programmes
- Given a platform to more than 200 cartoon, caricature and comic artists in our exhibitions
- Supported the work of new talent through our young neurodivergent cartoonist in residence programme, conferences, shop merchandise and a lively events programme
To mark this celebratory occasion, we are excited to share our 2026 programme, including a 20th anniversary gallery trail, new collaborations, a brilliant events programme, exclusive offers for our Friends and Patrons, and opportunities to support the charity’s mission of preserving the best of British cartoons, caricatures, comics and animation.
As a small independent charity receiving no regular funding, the Museum has never faced more significant financial challenges. However, through new support and continued dedication to our collection and audiences, we will continue to make the creativity of cartoon art – past, present and future – accessible to all for the purposes of education, research and pure enjoyment.
To continue to deliver on our mission to the public, the charity has launched a sustainability appeal through Crowdfunder with a goal to raise £20,000 for our 20th anniversary. We also invite everyone to support the Museum by becoming a Friend or Patron, subscribing to our newsletter, following us on social media, browsing our online and onsite shop, and coming to visit our wonderful galleries.
Sincerely,
Beth Bryan
Director, The Cartoon Museum
Blog post by Andy Oliver
