I first met Jules Wooding, Museum Manager at the Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, through one of my online Trauma-Informed Practice in Museums training sessions for the Northern Military Museums Network in early 2026. During the session, Jules shared the story of Blood, Sweat and Tears, an exhibition co-created with veterans who had served inContinue reading “Blood, Sweat and Tears – a case study”
Tag Archives: museums
Art, barbershops and the power of listening
My father, a barber, understood the power of listening. I learnt from him how important it is. ‘The barber is the working man’s psychiatrist.’ he would tell us. His customers ranged from judges in the high court of Ireland to members of the paramilitaries and everyone in between. I would ask him what sorts ofContinue reading “Art, barbershops and the power of listening”
Navigating traumatic museum collections
Last week I travelled to my hometown Belfast to speak to the wonderful staff at the Ulster Museum. 🏛️ I met with Louise Smyth and the curator of The Troubles and Beyond exhibition Karen Logan and asked them how the museum navigated working with collections that are so explicitly connected to personal and collective trauma.ThereContinue reading “Navigating traumatic museum collections”
thinking out loud
I’m in Milan! On holiday with my family… but visiting the many wonderful museums here I can’t help but reflect on what a trauma-informed museum would look, feel, behave like. On a visit to one museum I was told I had to follow a particular route around the spaces. When I tried to go aContinue reading “thinking out loud”
Louise Thompson 