National Touring Exhibitions is a programme managed and funded by the Arts Council England

Arts Council England

Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...

 that it aims to provide access to high-quality contemporary and historical travelling exhibition

Travelling exhibition

A travelling exhibition, also referred to as a "travelling exhibit" or a "touring exhibition", is a type of exhibition that is available for circulation to one or more venues in addition to the premises of the organiser....

s throughout the UK. The programme organises 2-3 major art exhibitions a year and has a further dozen that require minimal technical support. It is also responsible for the British Art Show

British Art Show

The British Art Show is a major survey exhibition organised every five years to showcase contemporary British Art. The current exhibition in the series, referred to as BAS6, is touring a number of major cities within England in 2005 and 2006. Each time it is organised, the show tours to three UK...

.

It is a direct descendant of the original Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) programme.