Blog

Call out to artists: Black Lives Matter art commission

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery is seeking a new work of art that responds to the Black Lives Matter movement. To support the process of decolonising the museum, we are working to make our collection more representative of the diverse cultures in Bristo…

Conserving M Shed’s cargo cranes

by Andy King, senior curator of history We are launching a public fundraising appeal to support the conservation of the four cargo cranes outside M Shed. Unfortunately time is taking its toll and they are showing significant signs of deterioration. The…

Call out: Mini commissions for digital content for families

by Julia Thomson-Smith, families engagement officer We are looking for artists, designers and creative practitioners to produce some digital content to get families engaging with their well-being. If this sounds like something you could do, read on! Bac…

Protest and survive: New acquisitions by Joy Gerrard and Barbara Walker

by Julia Carver, Modern and Contemporary Art curator Three new works of art acquired by Bristol Museum & Art Gallery strike a chord with recent events. Joy Gerrard Joy Gerrard has been making images of mass protests since the massive anti-Iraq War d…

Hinamatsuri: A closer look at the Japanese dolls in our collection

by Amy Raphael, volunteer Since November 2019, I have been work-shadowing Kate Newnham (senior curator, visual art) at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Before lockdown, I was working with Kate to curate a small exhibition of Japanese hina dolls for the…

The story of a stinky city: How improved sanitation transformed Bristol

by Lee Hutchinson, curator of history When it came to the removal of human waste, for centuries Bristolians relied on the natural ebb and flow of tidal rivers. During medieval times, underground water channels were built to drain sewage and rainwater f…

10 netsuke from Bristol’s collection

by Amy Raphael, volunteer Did you know that Bristol Museum & Art Gallery has 300 Japanese carvings known as netsuke and okimono? Netsuke were Japan’s solution to a lack of pockets in men’s kimono and other clothing. During the Edo Period (1…

Joining Bristol: The city’s diverse population over time

by Karen Garvey, engagement officer for events We’ve been celebrating Bristol’s diversity and how migrants enrich the city during our virtual World in Bristol Festival along with our community partners at 91 Ways to Build a Global City. People have com…

Bristol’s Afrikan-Caribbean legends of martial arts

Clive Smith captures the true stories from some of Bristol’s Afrikan Caribbean legends of martial arts. Lloyd Russell. Lloyd Allen. Nathan Lewis. Shaun Vera. Winston Williams. This podcast gives an insight into the journey of racism and discr…