Birmingham Museums to Open New Exhibition on Disabled Experience in City
Birmingham, UK – Birmingham Museums is excited to announce the opening of a new exhibition, Watch Us Lead, at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Thursday, June 5th, 2025.
Curated by multi-disciplinary artist Christopher Samuel, Watch Us Lead aims to highlight the often-missing stories of the disabled experience in Birmingham. Through nine newly recorded interviews, the exhibition focuses on the experiences of disabled people of colour in the city.
In addition to the interviews, the exhibition will also feature stained glass and drawings by Samuel, exploring themes of stigma, belonging, and agency. These pieces reflect significant moments in the lives of the individuals featured in the interviews.
Samuel’s artwork will be complemented by a selection of objects from Birmingham’s own collection and the Birmingham-based Midland Mencap Archive, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the historic disabled experience in the city.
The artist, who is a Black disabled man, has a practice rooted in identity and disability politics. His work, which includes ink drawings, film, print, audio, and large installations, often reflects his own lived experience and aims to bring attention to the often-unseen experiences of disabled individuals.
Speaking about the exhibition, Samuel said, “The realisation of how important making this body of work is was highlighted for me through the barriers I encountered to deliver this work – showing that the system has not historically been set up to preserve stories or voices like mine.”
The exhibition was made possible by the University of the Arts London’s (UAL) 20/20 programme, a three-year initiative led by UAL Decolonising Arts Institute. The programme is funded by the Freelands Foundation, Arts Council England, and UAL.
As part of the 20/20 programme, Samuel undertook a 15-month paid residency at Birmingham Museums in 2023 and 2024, leading to the production of this artwork for the city’s permanent collection.
Sara Wajid, co-chief executive of Birmingham Museums Trust, expressed her excitement about the exhibition, saying, “Christopher’s work is exquisite, playful, provocative, and joyous, and I am delighted to see the opening of his new exhibition as part of our ongoing commitment to social justice and artistic excellence.”
Watch Us Lead will be on display in the Contemporary Voices space at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery from Thursday, June 5th. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and admission is free.
