The Migration Museum is partnering with five museums and galleries across the UK to launch a new programme bringing diverse voices, lived experiences, and perspectives into the creation of a series of exhibitions exploring migration themes in 2027 – and the Migration Museum’s new permanent home in 2028.

The Migration Museum is partnering with:
– Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
– Food Museum
– Glasgow Life Museums
– Hastings Museum & Art Gallery
– The Museum of Free Derry

Together, we will recruit 10 Community Curators: passionate people who are eager to work with local communities and showcase local talent.

Our Community Curators will co-create displays exploring migration stories in their local areas. These displays will be shown at partner venues from Spring 2027, and will help shape the Migration Museum’s permanent home in London, opening in 2028.

Recruitment for Community Curators in each location begins today (Wednesday 22 July), with applications open until 2359 on Sunday 23 August. More information on how to apply can be found here.

Announcing the launch of the new programme, Mona Jamil, Head of Civic Engagement at the Migration Museum, said:

“At the Migration Museum, we explore how the movement of people to and from these shores across the centuries has shaped who we are. As we prepare to open our permanent Migration Museum in 2028, our vision is to build a new cultural destination that is shaped by and speaks to people and communities across the UK.

“Our Migration Museum Community Curators Programme is a vital step in making this vision a reality. We’re thrilled to be partnering with museums and galleries across the UK who share our belief that a more inclusive future is possible. If you’re passionate about working within local contexts to highlight stories of diversity and bring voices to life, we encourage you to apply. This is a skills-building programme, so no curatorial or museum experience is required. We particularly welcome applications from people who have faced barriers to opportunities in the cultural and creative sectors.”

Annie Bedford, Interim Head of Learning/Senior Producer (Communities), Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art said: 

“The Community Curators programme provides an exciting opportunity for two people in the North East of England to share their enthusiasm, knowledge and perspective on migration with local and national audiences. We’re excited to play a role in developing local creative and curating talent, to learn from the community curators and expand our understanding of migration, and to work together to bring migration stories to broad audiences.” 

Nathalie Morris, Head of Interpretation, Collections and Learning at the Food Museum, said:

“The Food Museum is delighted to be involved in this dynamic and exciting programme. Co-production with our communities is an essential part of how we work, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with the Migration Museum and our two Community Curators to explore food’s integral role in creating and celebrating culture and community. Food is a potent symbol of the richness and diversity that comes from migration and is a powerful means by which cultures are sustained and shared. 

This programme is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in telling stories about their food and community through museum exhibitions, and we’re thrilled to partner with the Migration Museum as it works towards opening its permanent home in London in 2028.”

Nelson Cummins, Senior Curator (Empowering Curators Fellow) at Glasgow Life Museums, said: 

“This project represents an exciting opportunity to work in partnership with the Migration Museum and community curators to explore how migration has shaped industry and business in Glasgow – key aspects of our city’s history and social identity.

“Glasgow wouldn’t be Glasgow without migration, so this is a welcome and valuable chance to examine its significance, and support the Migration Museum’s work toward its new home. Migration is an integral part of the UK’s past and present, and alongside being explored through the collections of current museums, it deserves a permanent museum that acknowledges its importance to everyday life across the country.”

Cllr Julia Hilton, deputy leader of Hastings Borough Council and lead councillor for shaping places, regeneration and community wealth building, said: 

“We are delighted to partner with the Migration Museum and two Community Curators to explore migration stories through the lens of the natural and built environment. Hastings Museum & Art Gallery is dedicated to fostering meaningful participative curatorial practice, and we welcome the opportunity for our community to creatively contribute to the national narrative that will anchor the Migration Museum’s new permanent site. 

“By sharing and activating stories that highlight the diverse, complex, and deeply human realities of movement, we hope to ensure that future generations who make Hastings their home find their lived experiences honoured and visible as part of our shared heritage.  We look forward to welcoming our Community Curators and embarking on this work together.”

Adrian Kerr, Curator at the Museum of Free Derry, said:

“This is a very exciting programme for us to be involved in. It fits so well with our project for archiving the rights of all in our society. It would be great for people to get involved in this and to help record their own community’s history, so we have that history directly from those involved.

We’re really looking forward to seeing the outcomes from this on important themes – in our case what it’s like to be part of one of the new communities here, and how the issue of our Irish language is being addressed.

The development of the Migration Museum is also very important. We’re living in a time of increased agitation and lies around migration, and it is vital that there is a space that shows how new communities are of great benefit for all of us, bringing in diversity and culture that enriches all of our lives.”

The Migration Museum Community Curators programme is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England – thanks to National Lottery players. The programme is also generously supported by funding from University College London’s Institute of Education.

Click here to download and view the press release
 

About Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is a major international centre for art situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead, England. It has welcomed over 10 million visitors since opening in July 2002. Baltic presents a distinctive and ambitious programme of temporary exhibitions and events and is a world leader in the presentation and commissioning of contemporary visual art. Housed in a landmark ex-industrial building, Baltic houses 2,600 square metres of art space, making it one of Europe’s largest dedicated contemporary art institutions.

With no permanent collection, every visit offers something new, inviting audiences to engage with thought-provoking art, enjoy panoramic views from the viewing platforms, and experience contemporary creativity in an accessible and welcoming space.

Find out more at: baltic.art

 

About the Food Museum

The Food Museum is located in East Anglia – ‘Britain’s Breadbasket’. Their mission is to connect people with where our food comes from and the impact of our choices: past, present and future. 

We all eat. Food is culture and is an avenue for everyday creativity. The Food Museum’s collection is rooted in East Anglia and is used to tell broad and inclusive stories.

From cheese-making to brewing, historic breads to seasonal eating, the Food Museum engages audiences with the heritage of food and the communities who grow and make it. They explore themes connected by food – social, historical, technological, industrial, environmental – and to give visitors hands-on experiences which bring processes alive, teach skills and share memories.

The museum began life as a volunteer-run rural life museum in 1967 and became the Food Museum in 2022. In 2025 they received £5 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Mid Suffolk District Council to fund five years of investment in their historic buildings, collaborative programming, improved facilities, and greater community involvement.

Find out more at: foodmuseum.org.uk

 

About Glasgow Life Museums 

Glasgow Life Museums care for some of Scotland’s most celebrated museums and galleries, offering unforgettable experiences across art, history, transport, religion, design and social heritage. From iconic destinations including Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Riverside Museum, the Burrell Collection, and the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) to historic sites including Provand’s Lordship and St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, each venue tells a unique part of Glasgow’s story. Free to enter, they invite visitors of all ages to discover world-class collections, inspiring exhibitions and the rich cultural heritage that makes Glasgow one of Europe’s great museum cities.

Find out more at: glasgowlife.org.uk/museums

 

About Hastings Museum & Art Gallery

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery is an award-winning, vibrant, community-focused museum. We bring together local stories and global perspectives through our collections of art, natural history, archaeology, and world cultures, creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to explore the past, understand the present and imagine the future together.

Founded in 1890 by the Hastings & St Leonards Museum Association and transferred into public ownership in 1905, the museum has grown into an Arts Council England National Portfolio Museum and a much-loved cultural space for the local community and visitors from around the world. Today, we are part of Hastings Borough Council, working with the support of the Museum Committee, the Hastings & St Leonards Museum Association, and our own Community Panel.

From the remarkable Durbar Hall, a rare example of an Indian palace interior outside the Indian subcontinent, to collections that reveal the stories of Hastings’ people, places and landscapes, the museum connects local experiences with global histories.  We are committed to making Hastings Museum & Art Gallery more open, inclusive, and collaborative. Our approach is rooted in participation and co-production, working alongside communities to share diverse voices and ensure that the stories we share reflect the people and places that make Hastings unique. Through exhibitions, events, learning programmes and community-led projects, we create spaces for curiosity, conversation, and creativity. 

Find out more at: hmag.org.uk

 

About the Migration Museum

The Migration Museum is building the UK’s missing museum, an inspiring new cultural destination exploring how the movement of people to and from these shores across the centuries has shaped who we are and where we’re going.

Over the past decade, our award-winning team has worked with a wide range of partners and collaborators to co-create interactive, story-led exhibitions and events from a series of temporary and pop-up venues, engaging audiences that are younger and much more ethnically and socio-economically diverse than other museums and heritage organisations. Our learning programme reaches thousands of students each year via facilitated workshops, and many more via teacher training and partnerships. And our Migration Network convenes museums, heritage organisations, charities, academics and charities from across the UK to encourage and support greater exploration of migration themes. 

We now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a new permanent Migration Museum in the heart of the City of London, opening in 2028, powered by a network of pop-ups and partnerships across the UK.

Find out more at: migrationmuseum.org

 

About the Museum of Free Derry 

The Museum of Free Derry is situated in the historic Bogside area of Derry, within Glenfada Park – the very ground where the Bloody Sunday massacre took place. Founded in 2007 by The Bloody Sunday Trust, the museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of Derry during the pivotal period from 1968 to 1972, known as ‘Free Derry’. This era is marked by profound events such as the civil rights movement, the Battle of the Bogside, Internment, Bloody Sunday, and Operation Motorman.

At its core, the museum tells the story of how a working-class community, long oppressed, rose up to demand justice and equality. The narrative is conveyed from the perspective of the Free Derry community, those who were most deeply involved in and affected by these historic events. The museum itself is housed in what was once a derelict housing block in Glenfada Park, a location that witnessed both the horror and heroism of Bloody Sunday.

Their contemporary building houses an extensive archive of approximately 20,000 items related to this critical period. They are currently developing the North West Civil Rights Archive, a project aimed at making these materials more accessible through research, accumulation, and digitisation. The museum is more than a repository of the past; it is a living space where the ongoing struggle for civil and human rights can be explored, both in a historic and contemporary context.

The Museum of Free Derry’s mission is not just to share the history of Free Derry, but to encourage visitors to see the struggle for human and civil rights as an ongoing, contemporary undertaking. It exists to honour the memory of those who fought and died for their rights and to connect their stories with global movements for freedom and social justice.

Find out more at: museumoffreederry.org

Supported by:
This programme is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Thanks to National Lottery players. The programme is also generously supported by funding from University College London’s Institute of Education.