Radical Museums

Museums Association

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We’ve been exploring what radical practice and activism means for museums for a number of years. We know that museums can make a positive difference to people’s lives, and throughout this podcast series Sharon Heal and Simon Stephens from the Museums Association travel across the UK to talk to museum activists and those that are striving for and driving change.

JAN 14

Nelson Cummins

Simon Stephens travels to Glasgow to meet Nelson Cummins, the curator (legacies of slavery and empire) at Glasgow Museums. Nelson, who used to work at the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, discusses the impact of empire on society today and why it is important to address its legacies. He leads an ongoing programme at Glasgow Museums to explore how the profits of empire and slavery played a crucial role in the city's economic and social development and how this continues to shape present-day Glasgow. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, Instagram and Facebook. Music: The Right Direction © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

29 min
JAN 6

Marian Gwyn

Sharon Heal speaks to Marian Gwyn, who has worked to diversify heritage practices throughout her 30-year career in the museum sector, including producing the first exhibition on slavery at any National Trust property in 2007. More recently, with Welsh Government funding, she devised and led a transformative initiative to diversify and decolonise local museums in Wales. Marian won the Radical Changemaker Award at our Museums Change Lives Awards 2024. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, Instagram and Facebook. Music: The Right Direction © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

33 min
12/17/2025

E-J Scott

MA head of publications and events Simon Stephens travels to south London to interview curator, cultural producer and academic E-J Scott, who founded the Museum of Transology in 2014. E-J’s work focuses on enabling communities who may traditionally have been marginalised in museums to recentre their histories via participatory practice. They are a senior lecturer on the BA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation programme at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. The Museum of Transology looks after the largest collection of material culture representing trans lives in the world. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, Instagram and Facebook. Music: The Right Direction © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

33 min
12/09/2025

William Mitchell

Sharon Heal visits Belfast to meet William Mitchell, the project director for the Action for Community Transformation (ACT) Initiative, which is dedicated to supporting former political prisoners and empowering those categorised as former combatants to support the reconstruction of their communities. As part of its community transformation work, the initiative has an exhibition, a hands-on interactive narrative telling the story of conflict in Northern Ireland. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, Instagram and Facebook. Music: The Right Direction © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

33 min
SEASON 3 TRAILER

Season 3 teaser

Sharon Heal, the director of the Museums Association and Simon Stephens, the head of publications and events at the MA, introduce the third season of the Radical Museums Podcast. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, Instagram and Facebook. Music: The Right Direction © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

1 min
SEASON 1 TRAILER

Season 1 teaser

Sharon Heal, the director of the Museums Association and Simon Stephens, the head of publications and events at the MA, introduce the first season of the Radical Museums podcast. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, Instagram and Facebook. Music: The Right Direction © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

2 min
04/29/2024

Reimagine, Remake, Replay

Simon Stephens travels to Ulster Museum in Belfast to meet the team at Reimagine, Remake, Replay, a youth engagement project in Northern Ireland. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, Instagram and Facebook. Music: The Right Direction © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

43 min
04/29/2024

Zandra Yeaman

Sharon Heal visits Glasgow to meet Zandra Yeaman, the curator of discomfort at the Hunterian Museum. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, Instagram and Facebook. Music: The Right Direction © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

26 min

We’ve been exploring what radical practice and activism means for museums for a number of years. We know that museums can make a positive difference to people’s lives, and throughout this podcast series Sharon Heal and Simon Stephens from the Museums Association travel across the UK to talk to museum activists and those that are striving for and driving change.

Creator

Museums Association
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

15
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Radical Museums
Show Website

Radical Museums