- 16
- Episodes
- 2
- Ratings
- 2024
- First episode
About Radical Museums
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.
- Publisher
- Museums Association
- Category
- arts
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 10 Jan 2024
- Latest episode
- 14 Jan 2026
Latest episodes
16 episodes in the feed.
14 Jan 2026
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 prese...
6 Jan 2026
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 f...
17 Dec 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 T...
9 Dec 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? Joi...
4 Dec 2025
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 X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Music: The Right Direction © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
29 Apr 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 (https://www.museumsassociation.org/join/) for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/MuseumsAssoc), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/museums-association/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/museumsassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MuseumsAssoc). Music: The Right Direction (https://www.silvermansound.com/) © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1).
29 Apr 2024
Victoria Ryves
In the first episode of Radical Museums, Sharon Heal travels to South Yorkshire to meet Victoria Ryves, Doncaster Culture Services' learning and community development manager. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today (https://www.museumsassociation.org/join/) for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/MuseumsAssoc), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/museums-association/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/museumsassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MuseumsAssoc). Music: The Right Direction (https://www.silvermansound.com/) © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1).
29 Apr 2024
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 (https://www.museumsassociation.org/join/) for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/MuseumsAssoc), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/museums-association/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/museumsassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MuseumsAssoc). Music: The Right Direction (https://www.silvermansound.com/) © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1).
29 Apr 2024
Nasir Adam
Simon Stephens visits St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff to meet Nasir Adam, the curator of black history at Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today (https://www.museumsassociation.org/join/) for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/MuseumsAssoc), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/museums-association/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/museumsassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MuseumsAssoc). Music: The Right Direction (https://www.silvermansound.com/) © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1).
29 Apr 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 (https://www.museumsassociation.org/join/) for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/MuseumsAssoc), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/museums-association/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/museumsassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MuseumsAssoc). Music: The Right Direction (https://www.silvermansound.com/) © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1).
16 Jan 2024
Leonie Bell
Simon Stephens, the head of publications and events at the Museums Association, meets Leonie Bell, the director of V&A Dundee. The venue, which opened in September 2018, was designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. V&A Dundee has been riding high on the success of its Tartan exhibition, which closed on 14 January and has been receiving rave reviews from critics and visitors. Its next big exhibition will be Photo City: How Images Shape the Urban World, which opens 29 March 2024. Leonie, who has had a wide range of roles in the cultural sector, tells Simon about becoming part of the local community, the joys of popular culture, why Dundee is such a great city, leadership in the cultural sector, and her love of architecture. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today (https://www.museumsassociation.org/join/) for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/MuseumsAssoc), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/museums-association/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/museumsassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MuseumsAssoc). Music: The Right Direction (https://www.silvermansound.com/) © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1).
16 Jan 2024
Jane Henderson
Sharon Heal, the director of the Museums Association, meets Jane Henderson, a professor of conservation at Cardiff University, for our Radical Museums podcast. Jane is a long-standing activist and has recently campaigned successfully against the closure of the Museum of Cardiff. Sharon and Jane discuss the power of museums and their collections, the joys of Cardiff, approaches to culture in Wales, tackling racism in Wales, and the challenges of working in museums today, particularly for those looking to enter the sector. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today (https://www.museumsassociation.org/join/) for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/MuseumsAssoc), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/museums-association/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/museumsassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MuseumsAssoc). Music: The Right Direction (https://www.silvermansound.com/) © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1).
16 Jan 2024
John Kenneth Paranada
Simon Stephens, the head of publications and events at the Museums Association, meets John Kenneth Paranada, the inaugural curator of art and climate change at the Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia. Paranada is a British-Filipino curator, critic, researcher and writer. In addition to his curatorial role, the first role of its kind in a UK museum, he is also a researcher at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. His work pioneers regenerative curatorial and museological pra...
16 Jan 2024
Agrippa Njanina
Sharon Heal, the director of the Museums Association, travels to Belfast to meet Agrippa Njanina, a community engagement officer at National Museums Northern Ireland. Agrippa has more than 15 years of experience in the non-profit, education and community sectors, specialising in ethics and community engagement. At National Museums NI, he plays a vital role in coordinating and facilitating the Global Voices Local Choices programme across six museums in Northern Ireland. He is also a member of the MA’s Ethics Committee. Agrippa tells Sharon why Belfast is a special place for him, how he is working with local museums, the importance of social impact, and the impact of colonial legacies on Northern Ireland today. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today (https://www.museumsassociation.org/join/) for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/MuseumsAssoc), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/museums-association/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/museumsassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MuseumsAssoc). Music: The Right Direction (https://www.silvermansound.com/) © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1).
16 Jan 2024
Ken Paranada
Simon Stephens, the head of publications and events at the Museums Association, meets Ken Paranada, the curator of art and climate change at the Sainsbury Centre. Ken, who is also a researcher and writer, was born in the Philippines and is now based in the UK. Before joining the Sainsbury Centre, Ken held curatorial positions with the New Museum of Contemporary Art, Cultural Centre of the Philippines, London Design Biennale, Shanghai Biennale, and many other globally renowned institutions. Ken tells Simon about creating exhibitions, using museums to enact social change, the idea of living art, decolonisation, the changing role of the curator and how art can help communities respond and adapt to the climate crisis. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today (https://www.museumsassociation.org/join/) for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/MuseumsAssoc), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/museums-association/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/museumsassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MuseumsAssoc). Music: The Right Direction (https://www.silvermansound.com/) © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1).
10 Jan 2024
Season 2 teaser
Sharon Heal, the director of the Museums Association and Simon Stephens, the head of publications and events at the MA, introduce the second season of the Radical Museums Podcast. Not yet a member of the MA? Join us today (https://www.museumsassociation.org/join/) for access to great benefits including Museums Journal content, professional development programmes and free entry to 900+ museums across the UK. Follow us on X (https://twitter.com/MuseumsAssoc), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/museums-association/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/museumsassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MuseumsAssoc). Music: The Right Direction (https://www.silvermansound.com/) © 2020 by Shane Ivers, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1).
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