Gendering the Museum

Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business commercialisation project
Oxburgh Hangings cropped
Reinterpreting existing collections to reach new audiences, historians Professor James Daybell and Dr Kit Heyam are changing the representation of gender in museums, galleries, and heritage settings with their Gendering the Museum toolkits: downloadable practical guides for staff, community groups, and volunteers.
 

At its core, a gendered perspective is about finding fascinating new stories of real people – especially women and LGBTQ+ people – who have often been invisible in museum and gallery interpretation. Museum attendances, though on the rise, are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Uncovering untold stories, along with hidden gendered aspects and resonances, the toolkits bring a fresh perspective to existing collections, reaching new audiences, and increasing engagement from those previously marginalised by their gender or sexuality.
 

The toolkits

The main Gendering the Museum toolkit and accompanying materials offer practical, easy-to-use guides for staff, community groups, and volunteers to enhance gender representation in museums, galleries, and heritage sites.
Designed for institutions of all sizes, budgets, and expertise levels, the toolkit includes instructional films, downloadable worksheets, online events, in-depth case studies, and a directory of contacts and resources to support inclusive curation and interpretation.
Gendering the Museum toolkit

Alongside the main toolkit, the team has developed two spin-off 'mini' toolkits:

  • the Visitors and Communities Mini Toolkit is aimed at visitors, volunteers and community groups;
  • the Evaluation Mini Toolkit is aimed at museum and heritage professionals and provides practical guidance for evaluating the impact of their working practices to address the representation of gender.

The main toolkit has been road-tested in heritage sites such as Saltram House (National Trust) and the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.
The project has also provided training workshops for a range of museums, including the National Trust South West team that is developing the reinterpretation of the Assembly Rooms in Bath.
 
Royal Armouries Museum Leeds

Toolkit in action

In 2023, the Royal Armouries partnered with Leeds 2023 on Forgotten Battles: Gender in the Armouries, a project led by LGBTQIA+ volunteers and researchers from the Leeds area. Together, they created an exhibition and object trail that uncovers diverse voices and hidden stories within the museum, exploring how concepts of gender and sexuality have evolved across time and place. Although the project concluded in November 2024, visitors can still follow the trail, using a downloadable map and object guide to reflect on the deeper gendered histories behind the museum’s collections and challenge traditional narratives of arms and armour.
 
The impact and the research for this body of work is underpinned by several publications, including an article in Museum International and The Sixteenth Century Journal.
It stems from two AHRC-funded projects in collaboration with Professor Svante Norrhem at Lund University: ‘Gender, Power and Materiality in Early Modern Europe’, Sweden (2015–17), and ‘Gendered Interpretations at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Vasa Museum’ (2018–19).
Most recently, James Daybell presented the toolkits to stakeholders involved in Paisley Museum Reimagined – a £45 million flagship project that forms part of a broader investment in the town. Scotland’s first municipal museum, Paisley Museum is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment and expansion alongside a reappraisal of its collections.
In addition, the team has led the 'Hidden Stories' community research project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and actively supports community groups with grant writing for grant applications.
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Meet the researchers

James Daybell
Professor of Early Modern History James Daybell is the co-author of the Histories of the Unexpected series and podcast with Dr Sam Willis. Eschewing a linear approach to the past, their work explores how everything, from lions and lightning to zombies and zebras, has a history.
Dr Kit Heyam is a highly experienced trans awareness and heritage consultant. Their ground-breaking book, Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender (Basic Books 2022; History Today Book of the Year) is a global history of gender nonconformity which tells the stories of people who don’t fit into modern and/or Western trans categories.
Kit Heyam
 
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Commercialisation in SHAPE disciplines

The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business is at the forefront pioneering the commercialisation approaches within SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy) research.
This initiative showcases the innovative ways our academics transform research into sustainable impact, collaborating with partners to address modern world challenges through creative commercial models.
 

SHAPE disciplines address global challenges associated with marine, health and sustainability through the lens of place

Through five place-based research themes, we investigate the intricate relationships between communities, the natural world, and technology.
Locally, we co-create sustainable solutions to complex problems in order to build resilient and thriving neighbourhoods, cities, and regions. This work transcends geographical, social and political boundaries to become applicable on a global level.
place-based research
SHAPE – Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy