Museum Explorations

Faculty of Arts, Warwick

Exploring the world of museums from the perspective of academics and students at the University of Warwick.

Episodes

  1. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery with Andrea Bonnell and Maialen Maugars

    25/11/2025

    Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery with Andrea Bonnell and Maialen Maugars

    See photos and videos to accompany this podcast on our Instagram page. In November 2025 we visited Birmingham's main museum, which has in the last couple of years been reawakening from a shut down during which many of its galleries were redesigned so as to refresh their relevance to the city, its people, and its place in the world. Maialen Maugars (who has researched the museum) and Robert O'Toole from Warwick were given a tour and a chance to discuss the makeover with head of participation at BMAG, Andrea Bonnell. The results of the redesign are amazing. And rich with ideas. It is a big museum, with diverse collections. For example, the Industrial Gallery and Birmingham: Its People, Its History exhibition are bright, and lively, inspiring excitement and conversation about the city. The Pre-Raphaelites gallery feels like a place for the calm contemplation of beauty. In the Staffordshire Hoard exhibition we hear from the archaeologists and historians involved in this amazing discovery, and see the bling: gold, metalwork, swords, helmets. And then in the Elephant Room the curators challenge us, and themselves, to think about the provenance and purpose of exhibits, how they were collected, and how collecting might take them away from the context and the people in which they belong.

    57 min
  2. Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum with Chloe Johnson

    14/07/2025

    Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum with Chloe Johnson

    Housed in the historic Pump Rooms spa baths building, built in 1814, visiting the Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum is a truly immersive experience. Visitors can dive deep into local history and a wonderful art collection, as well as a program of special exhibitions and events. But for the curators and conservators, these watery metaphors have a challenging other meaning. This is our second attempt at recording this podcast. The first was postponed due to a major leak in the roof, necessitating emergency relocation of exhibits and major repairs. In the past, the threat of inundation has come not from above, but rather from the Leam River, a tributary of the Avon, running alongside. But as collections and engagement manager Chloe Johnson explains, this is all part of the unique character of the place. As we move around the different rooms, some converted from swimming pools, others from Victorian Turkish Baths, we can hear the transitions in mood - it's just a shame you can't feel the differences too, in the air, the light, the textures. The exhibits make the most of these details and contrasts. The podcast was recorded the day before the official opening of the brilliant new exhibition A Different View: Women Artists at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, curated by Kellie Sabin. Chloe gave us a personal tour, in which we learned about the ideas behind the selection of works and their arrangement. Watch this video with Kellie introducing the exhibition. Before recording the podcast, we had lunch in the excellent cafe, and a quick visit to the Library. Leamington can be reached by train, with the station just a few minutes from the Pump Rooms. Parking is plentiful. Look out for the spaces along Jephson Gardens (the ones further away from the Pump Rooms, past the side entrance to the gardens, are free). Combine a visit with a walk in the beautiful gardens and a wander around the town.

    1h 4m
  3. Market Hall Museum, Warwick, with Jon Radley

    28/03/2025

    Market Hall Museum, Warwick, with Jon Radley

    In our first episode, Robert O'Toole from the University of Warwick chats with Jon Radley, curator of Natural Sciences at the Market Hall Museum in Warwick. A successful and popular county museum, Market Hall is a great example of how museums are evolving away from Victorian values, and towards a more purposeful and responsive approach. Exhibits are not longer displayed so as to reinforce Victorian man's sense of civilised superiority, contrasted with chaotic and violent nature. We see a more nuanced perspective, including reflecting on the stories of the people who collected and curated the exhibits.

    23 min
  • 3 Episodes

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Exploring the world of museums from the perspective of academics and students at the University of Warwick.

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