New exhibition highlights disability stories at Yorkshire museum

‘Go as you Please' is a new temporary exhibition that opened on Thursday 8 February 2024 at the National Railway Museum in York.

The exhibit highlights authentic stories which are underrepresented about disability, alongside 20th century railway artwork.

The exhibition is an exploration of rail travel from the perspectives of people who have lived with experience of d/Deafness, disability and neurodivergence.

The exhibit includes many features, including railway artworks, marketing posters, and quotes from community participants.

In a first for the NRM, the exhibition includes an audio descriptive tour, which can be accessed by scanning various QR codes around the exhibit.

Manchester-based filmmaker David Bewick has also created a film for the exhibition called ‘ We Do Get Out and About' which has British Sign Language interpretation, subtitles and a transcript, to enable everyone to watch or listen to the film.

As part of the national Curating for Change programme, ‘Go as you Please' will include a specially commissioned original artwork called Shifting Landscapes by neurodivergent artist Hayley Wall.

The exhibit is curated by Amy Thraves-Connor, Curating for Change Fellow, at the National Railway Museum.

Amy said: “I hope visitors are drawn to the exhibition for its eye-catching artwork and are encouraged through this artwork to engage with stories they otherwise might not have thought relevant to them. The unexpected narrative explores the experience of travel and destination from a range of often overlooked perspectives. I want visitors to the exhibition to make their own interpretations and memories from these artworks and feel encouraged to question their thoughts around disability.”

An England-wide programme called Curating for Change offers fellowships and traineeships to d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent curators founded to challenge the underrepresentation of disabled museum professionals.

The programme aims to build a more diverse sector workforce, representative of the wider population, and to encourage a broader range of narratives to be explored in museums and galleries.

Curating for Change is delivered in partnership with Screen South and the Accentuate Programme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and Arts Council England.

‘Go as you Please' is on display in the National Railway Museum's Highlights Gallery in the Great Hall from Thursday 8 February until June.

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