Speakers: Amanda Egbe, Chair, Regional Steering Group, UnMuseum and UWE Bristol, Japheth ‘Jeff’ Monzon, UnMuseum Administrator, Sado Jirde, Director, Ella Scotland-Waters, Senior Curator and Project Manager and Adassa Dixon, Community Curator, Black South West Network
The UnMuseum, seeded a decade ago, is Black South West Network’s flagship cultural heritage project, funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund to radically reimagine heritage practice through community leadership. Our session reflects on what communities told us during consultations: heritage must be relational, healing, and rooted in ownership and access.
The project is growing into a bold initiative redefining the boundaries of community-led cultural heritage. Communities stressed that heritage is not just about objects but about stories, language, and lived experience. They challenged us to dismantle rigid institutional frameworks and create space for dialogue and adaptability. We will share how BSWN, as a racial justice organisation entering heritage work, navigated structural barriers while earning trust from marginalised communities.
This case study offers practical strategies for embedding equity: co-production, and liberatory principles that empower communities to steward their own histories. By reflecting on successes, tensions, and hopes, we aim to inspire museums and heritage professionals, toward transformative, inclusive, community-centred practice.
Amanda Egbe
Japheth ‘Jeff’ Monzon
Sado Jirde
Ella Scotland-Waters
Adassa Dixon
