“The curators have done an amazing job at creating space in the institution for important conversations and representation”
“Fantastic event elevating the global majority in an authentic way”
“Thank you for centring stories that need space. Great sharing and learning”
-Excerpts from anonymous feedback forms, filled out by public programme attendees.
For over 50 years Southall’s activists have fought for a fairer, safer and more tolerant country; whilst its musicians have battled racism and mixed traditions to forge new narratives of belonging. Many marginalised communities in Southall feel an urgent need for their story to be amplified and acknowledged. In response, I worked with over 50 community members to lead Gunnersbury Park Museum’s most ambitious co-produced project to date: Peoples Unite! How Southall Changed the Country, exhibition and public programme (November 2024-November 2025).
The public programme was curated by Southallian Manu Nandha who was recruited specially for the role. Working with Manu enabled me and my team to expand on the themes of the exhibition. The programme was especially important for exploring sensitive topics which need safe and controlled spaces to be discussed with nuance and care. Having a Southallian as curator also meant that we could shape the programme with significant insight when it came to creating events that were meaningful for the communities we wanted to reach.
Early consultation with community members had stressed the need for intergenerational conversations as well as highlighting the paucity of opportunities for local young creatives to showcase their work. The public programme gave us scope to address both these concerns. We hosted four intergenerational events attended by over 150 audience members and platformed the work of 30 early career creatives across 12 events attended by over 250 audience members.
By the end of the programme we had hosted 25 events attended by 598 audience members. 78% of the attendees surveyed identified as global majority, a demographic which previously had been underserved by the Museum.
