PHM is the national museum of democracy, telling the story of its development in Britain: past, present, and future.
On this blog we share posts from the PHM team and other experts, with behind the scenes stories, coverage of PHM's exhibitions and events, and highlights from the museum's unique collection.
Gill Crawshaw is a curator, based in Leeds, who draws on her experience of disability activism to organise art exhibitions and events which highlight issues affecting disabled people. She is interested in the intersection of disabled people’s lives with textile heritage in the north of England, as well as with contemporary textile arts.
In March 2023, Gill took part in People’s History Museum’s (PHM) The Fabric of Protest workshop. She reflects on how disabled people have used textiles as a powerful tool of communication and on some of the objects on show in PHM’s current exhibition about disabled people’s activism, Nothing About Us Without Us.
For this blog we invited Richard Rieser, Co-ordinator UK of Disability History Month, to visit our landmark exhibition Nothing About Us Without Us (on show until 16 October 2023)
This summer we’ve been treated to a show of work by twelve studio artists from one of Manchester’s leading visual art organisations, Venture Arts. We wanted to find out more and chatted with of one of the artists, Sally Hirst. We ask about Sally’s art and inspiration and what visitors can expect from the Until It Looks Like This exhibition.
The history of the early May Day Bank Holiday, investigated by People’s History Museum researcher Dr Shirin Hirsch.
Incredibly it has been 5 years since Women’s Marches took place across the globe; described as one of the biggest human-rights demonstrations in history, with millions taking part and representation in every continent of the world. Manchester was one of the cities that marched on 21 January 2017 and in this blog we hear the fascinating story of the From The City of Pankhurst With Love placard that began its life on this march,. This is the story behind the object in the words of its creator Caroline Dyer, Co-Director of Heard Storytelling and an Events Manager.