Exhibition celebrates women and gender diversity

A new exhibition and project lab has begun at Derby Museums’ Derby Museum and Art Gallery celebrating Derbyshire women and gender diversity.

Called History Makers: A celebration of Derbyshire women and gender diversity, the exhibition, which runs until February, has been many years in the making.

Its content has been developed from feedback from visitors, volunteers and community members about the lack of representation for both women and gender diversity within the museums’ galleries.

The exhibition aims to recognise the contribution and cultural expression of Derbyshire history makers throughout the ages, with an emphasis on the inspirational stories of those often overlooked or misrepresented in history.

The first gallery takes visitors on a chronological journey, highlighting individual stories against a timeline of events that affected the lives of history makers across Derbyshire.

Emerging themes are explored through objects on display and visitors are actively encouraged to share their own reflections and experiences to help the exhibition evolve.

The project lab in gallery two will host a programme of events and workshops where possibilities to create a lasting legacy in the museum’s permanent galleries will be explored with the public.

Sally Hawley, head of collections at Derby Museums’, said: “We have worked in co-production with organisations and individuals who do incredible work throughout Derbyshire to empower our communities and campaign for positive change.

“This exhibition explores what it means to be a history maker and aims to inspire history makers today and in the future.

“These displays could have been developed differently, in innumerable ways and they will continue to change over time.

“The exhibition does not aim to represent all Derbyshire history makers; rather it is a place for us to reflect on our past and make plans for the future.

“Everybody is a history maker, and we hope visitors will add their own stories to this exhibition using the resources provided.

“We hope to inspire visitors to join the conversation, perhaps remembering other history makers as they explore the galleries and identify important moments to commemorate.”

The exhibition will run until 12 February. Admission is free but charitable donations are welcomed.