My Mum delights in telling people that I dreamt of being an archaeology curator from an early age. World Museum Liverpool had certainly cast a spell on me, as had watching repeated television screenings of Harry Hamlin as Perseus in Clash of the Titans. By 15 I had my sights firmly set on becoming an archaeologist but the careers advisor wasn’t too convinced. I was politely asked to choose something seemingly more attainable for a working-class teenager from Skelmersdale: I opted for marketing because I had a passion for graphic art and had taken part in Young Enterprise. You’ve probably guessed by now that I wasn’t snapped up by Saatchi and Saatchi, instead I ended up excavating Roman roof tiles in Italy for a University of Edinburgh archaeology degree.

I don’t think any of those roof tiles ended up in a museum but contrary to my careers advice I eventually did. For 15 years I was a curator, creative producer and project manager at both the International Slavery Museum (2005–2007) and Manchester Museum (2007-2020), and sat on several committees including the Islamic Art and Material Culture Subject Specialist Network (2014–2018), the Royal Northern College of Music Collection of Historic Instruments (2010–2020) and the National Heritage Lottery Fund North (2016–2025).

In 2020, I made the decision to apply all I’d learned and experienced as a queer working-class cultural worker to my role as a freelance curator, consultant and cultural practitioner in order to support the sector that means so much to me by widening the range of people and places that have access to and make decisions about arts, culture and heritage projects, resources and strategies. In an effort to realise this, I’ve collaborated on numerous projects with a variety of clients, including serving as a consultant for Ancient History, Contemporary Belonging (2021-2023), Mindsets + Missions (2022-2023), Re:Collections (2023-2024), Safe Access (2024) and Aspire (2024-present).

In recognition of this work, I was appointed as a mentor at Museum Futures (2021), a GLAM Research Hubs Advisory Board member (2021–2022), a Homotopia trustee (2021–2023) and most recently a steering group member for Safe Access (2025-present). So, if you're determined to ensure that the fabulous art, culture and heritage you and your organisation create is as equitable, inclusive and diverse as possible, I can help.

Stephen Welsh (he/him) • Cultural Practitioner