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Reframing museum-based research: Exploring participatory practices

London Museum Docklands — Conference

  • Exploring community-based, participatory research practices in museums.

6pm

5 Mar – 4 Apr 2025

In this second panel of our series, we move beyond museum-university partnerships to explore community-based, participatory research practices which reconsider the kinds of knowledge and experiences that museums prioritise.

Participatory approaches in museums have taken many forms, including co-creating exhibitions, co-curating public programs and conducting community-based research.

While co-creation and co-curation have received considerable attention, less focus has been placed on understanding the knowledge generated through participatory research.

How does this knowledge connect to more institutionalised research practice? How can experimental and open-ended methods of inquiry be integrated into museum structures?

This event will delve into these critical questions, emphasising the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to reimagine the role of research in museums.

It will also consider how funding structures, institutional priorities and academic frameworks shape participatory research and explore ways to build more ethical, sustainable and impactful collaborations.

The event is supported by the University of Westminster Smithsonian Development Fund. The panel is chaired by Dr Alison Hess, Lecturer in Museum and Gallery Studies at the University of Westminster.

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For:
Adults only
How to attend:
Hybrid (in-person or online)
Duration:
2 hours

Before opening the floor for audience discussion, the panel will address the following points:

  • navigating power dynamics – how to identify and address inherent tensions in participatory research
  • responsiveness in a changing world – the role of participatory research in helping museums adapt to a rapidly evolving, polarised society
  • collaborative practices – strategies for effective collaboration between curators, museum professionals, artists, and individuals with lived experience
  • interdisciplinary approaches – how combining perspectives can address complex social and political challenges and reshape museum practices
  • community impact – ensuring participatory research is reciprocal and beneficial for all stakeholders

This event invites participants to critically reflect on the transformative potential of participatory research in museums and how it can shape more equitable and inclusive practices.

Speakers

Dr Aleema Gray

Curator, researcher & public historian

Aleema Gray is a curator, researcher and public historian. She was awarded the Yesu Persaud Scholarship for her PhD ‘Bun Babylon: A Community-engaged History of Rastafari in Britain’. Aleema’s work focuses on Black history in Britain and is driven by more historically contingent ways of understanding the present, belonging, memory and contested heritage. She is the lead curator for ‘Beyond the Bassline: 500 years of Black British Music’ at the British Library and founder of HOUSE OF DREAD.

Dr Claire Jerry

Curator, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Claire Jerry is a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, specialising in political rhetoric, material culture of 20th- and 21st-century campaigning, and presidential history. She has curatorial responsibility for the exhibit ‘The American Presidency’, lead on the digital campaign ‘#votehistory’, and plays a central role in the museum’s contemporary collecting of presidential and campaign material culture.

Professor Debbie Watson

Professor of Child and Family Welfare, University of Bristol & Academic Director, Brigstow Institute

Debbie Watson is a professor and academic director. Her work at the Brigstow Institute fosters radical interdisciplinary research through co-produced and creative practices. The Institute has funded 250 new research collaborations, mostly involving artists and diverse community groups. It works directly with the university's cultural collections supporting participatory archival research and supports four innovative projects working with the Welfare State International collection.

Dr Domenico Sergi

Senior Research Lead, London Museum

Domenico Sergi is responsible for a new research centre at London Museum focused on inclusive practice. He was previously a senior curator for the museum’s contemporary collection and a curator at the Horniman Museum and Gardens. His interdisciplinary practice examines the social justice role of museums and the impact of collaborative research and curatorial engagement with minorities. Domenico has published on refugee studies, museum anthropology and contemporary museum practice.

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Conference London Museum Docklands Adults only