Knowledge Exchange: Curating Public Unrest

Museums are often required to respond to social and political calls to collect, manage, and interpret high profile objects, or objects that provoke a variety of responses. These objects often explore challenging, divisive, or problematic narratives or provenance.

This knowledge exchange was delivered by Ray Barnett, Head of Collections & Archives for the Bristol Culture & Creatives Industries team within Bristol City Council. Ray speaks about Bristol’s connections with the transatlantic slave trade and how Bristol Museum and Art Gallery helped to tell these stories through various exhibitions over the years. Ray also talks about how the statue of Edward Colston came into the museum’s possession and the challenges of preserving and displaying the statue.