Annual Seminar 2026 – Curating Historic Portraits: Transcultural Conversations
Joshua Reynolds' Portrait of Mai on display at The Box, Plymouth. Photo: Dom Moore.
Organised by the Understanding British Portraits Subject Specialist Network in partnership with The Box, Plymouth
This event is funded by the Journeys with Mai project, which is generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and other supporters.
Hybrid event: in-person at the University of Plymouth, and online via Zoom
Places are free but booking is essential.
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Symposium Session One: Thursday 14 May, 13:00–17:00
Symposium Session Two: Friday 15 May, 10:00–13:30
About the Symposium
This symposium will examine how historic portraiture can be reframed to broaden access to lives and narratives that have been overlooked within traditional museum and archive structures. It will also consider new methods being tested to foster more meaningful and relevant connections with contemporary audiences.
Taking Journeys with Mai, a national partnership tour led by the National Portrait Gallery, as its starting point, we will hear from project partners how a British portrait masterpiece was radically redefined by introducing indigenous voices, new research approaches and contemporary art responses across the successive venues.
The event will showcase innovative projects from the South West and across the UK to share recent curatorial and engagement work which has challenged or reinterpreted historic portrait collections to support more inclusive conversations.
Papers and discussion sessions in this symposium will interrogate:
• How can contemporary artists’ responses draw out parallels between historic portraits and today’s most urgent challenges?
• How can portraits help explore themes of migration, belonging and identity?
• How can projects that centre a range of voices and perspectives lead to meaningful transcultural conversations?
Who Is It For?
Designed as a sector-facing, open and inclusive conversation, the symposium will welcome museum professionals and engagement specialists interested in portrait collections. Together, we’ll explore how historic collections can be revitalised through collaboration, creativity and community dialogue.
Participants travelling to Plymouth will have an opportunity to network with colleagues as well as visit both the Journeys with Mai and Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy exhibitions. There will also be an exciting artist in-conversation event on Thursday evening: details to follow soon.
Register for the in-person event here
Register for the online event here
Speakers include:
Dr Mohini Chandra, Artist, Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art (UAL) and convener of the Empire and Place Research Network
Grace Bermingham Davies, PhD Researcher, Newcastle University and the National Portrait Gallery, and Experiences and Partnerships Curator, National Trust Wales
Lara Goodband, Contemporary Art Curator and Programmer at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (RAMM), Exeter
Dr Eve Haddow, Senior Curator in Anthropology, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge
Hannah Hooks, Contemporary Art Curator, The Box, Plymouth
Dr Lucy Peltz, Joint Head of Curatorial and Senior Curator of 18th Century Collections, National Portrait Gallery
Zoe Shearman, Property Curator, Saltram, National Trust
Professor Nicholas Thomas, Director, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge
Dr Luke Uglow, Assistant Curator, National Portrait Gallery
Full programme to follow shortly.
A limited number of travel bursaries are available to enable attendance by early-career museum professionals and/or for organisations without a professional development budget. If you would benefit from receiving a bursary to attend this event, please complete the form here and we will be in touch. Please note, completing the form is not a guarantee that funds will be issued.
Journeys with Mai is a Partnership project between the National Portrait Gallery, London; Bradford District Museums and Galleries; the Fitzwilliam Museum, in collaboration with the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge; and The Box, Plymouth. Journeys with Mai is generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and other supporters.
