Museum Explorations

African, African-American and Black British music in from the colonial era to the present day

Originally published on We Are FAB People. A great discussion with students from our black student networks in the Arts Faculty at Warwick, who are curating and designing an exhibition. Robert O'Toole in conversation with Alicia Odumosu, Jessica Boakye, and Alex Land. With short samples of the music we discuss, by Labi Sifre, the Balafon Sextet, DJ Solo, and So Solid Crew.

Decolonising the Dinosaurs with the Namibian National Earth Sciences Museum, Helke Mocke

Robert O'Toole, director of the Digital Arts and Humanities Lab at Warwick University, recently did a short expedition around Namibia. In this interview he talks with Helke Mocke, Chief Geoscientist National Earth Science Museum in Windhoek, about the museum and how it works within national, regional, and international networks to preserve, research, present, and (most importantly) understand the meaning of Namibia's fossil record. The small museum is nicely designed to tell the fascinating story of ancient life on earth, but also to be a place where people of all kinds can come together and make sense of it for themselves. But what we don't see, and what we learn about in this podcast, is the work that goes on behind the scenes to preserve and protect discoveries, to work with colonial museums to repatriate artefacts, and to create a museum that works with communities in the post-colonial reality of modern Namibia. It's interesting to note that after independence was won from South Africa (who had taken over from the Germans), a deliberate move was made away from museums being about preserving monuments, towards being about enriching culture and community. Real decolonisation in action. Enjoy!

Museum of Namibian Fashion - confronting colonial past, envisioning creative futures with Sophia Nuuyuni and Inah Edhiga

Robert O'Toole, director of the Digital Arts and Humanities Lab at Warwick University, recently did a short expedition around Namibia. He visited several wonderful museums, exploring how the incredible diversity of the country is represented, how this is shaped by post-colonial ambitions and reality, and how Namibian museums are oriented towards community engagement. In this first interview, after riding by motorcycle 250 kilometres north of Windhoek to the Museum of Namibian Fashion, Robert chats with Sophia Nuuyuni and Inah Edhiga about the museum, its activities, and goals. This includes positive stories about bringing artefacts back from museums in Germany. Enjoy!

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery with Andrea Bonnell and Maialen Maugars

See photos and videos to accompany this podcast on our Instagram page [https://www.instagram.com/museumexplorations/]. In November 2025 we visited Birmingham's main museum, which has in the last couple of years been reawakening from a shut down during which many of its galleries were redesigned so as to refresh their relevance to the city, its people, and its place in the world. Maialen Maugars [https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/scapvc/arthistory/research/students/studentresearch/maugars/] (who has researched the museum) and Robert O'Toole from Warwick were given a tour and a chance to discuss the makeover with head of participation at BMAG, Andrea Bonnell. The results of the redesign are amazing. And rich with ideas. It is a big museum, with diverse collections. For example, the Industrial Gallery and Birmingham: Its People, Its History exhibition are bright, and lively, inspiring excitement and conversation about the city. The Pre-Raphaelites gallery feels like a place for the calm contemplation of beauty. In the Staffordshire Hoard exhibition we hear from the archaeologists and historians involved in this amazing discovery, and see the bling: gold, metalwork, swords, helmets. And then in the Elephant Room the curators challenge us, and themselves, to think about the provenance and purpose of exhibits, how they were collected, and how collecting might take them away from the context and the people in which they belong.

Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum with Chloe Johnson

Housed in the historic Pump Rooms spa baths building, built in 1814, visiting the Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum is a truly immersive experience. Visitors can dive deep into local history and a wonderful art collection, as well as a program of special exhibitions and events. But for the curators and conservators, these watery metaphors have a challenging other meaning. This is our second attempt at recording this podcast. The first was postponed due to a major leak in the roof, necessitating emergency relocation of exhibits and major repairs. In the past, the threat of inundation has come not from above, but rather from the Leam River, a tributary of the Avon, running alongside. But as collections and engagement manager Chloe Johnson explains, this is all part of the unique character of the place. As we move around the different rooms, some converted from swimming pools, others from Victorian Turkish Baths, we can hear the transitions in mood - it's just a shame you can't feel the differences too, in the air, the light, the textures. The exhibits make the most of these details and contrasts. The podcast was recorded the day before the official opening of the brilliant new exhibition A Different View: Women Artists at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, curated by Kellie Sabin. Chloe gave us a personal tour, in which we learned about the ideas behind the selection of works and their arrangement. Watch this video [https://youtu.be/5kZTnH9grMk?feature=shared] with Kellie introducing the exhibition. Before recording the podcast, we had lunch in the excellent cafe, and a quick visit to the Library. Leamington can be reached by train, with the station just a few minutes from the Pump Rooms. Parking is plentiful. Look out for the spaces along Jephson Gardens (the ones further away from the Pump Rooms, past the side entrance to the gardens, are free). Combine a visit with a walk in the beautiful gardens and a wander around the town.