Ashlynn Hudson-Welburn Curator
Curator (Life History Interviews and Narrative Records) Nlhf Funded Lgbtqia Heritage Programme @Science Museum Group
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WORK HISTORY
Curator (Life History Interviews and Narrative Records) Nlhf Funded Lgbtqia Heritage Programme @Science Museum Group
York, GB
Lead People, Pride and Progress, an NLHF-funded national, ethically governed oral history programme preserving and celebrating LGBTQIA+ experiences across the UK rail sector. Responsible for strategic direction, governance, financial forecast and spend, and reporting against NLHF and institutional requirements, including Group-wide inclusion frameworks. Manage a multidisciplinary team and a network of 30 remote volunteers, overseeing recruitment, training, workflows, and post-interview processing to ensure high-quality oral histories and sustained community engagement Establish and chair a community advisory panel, embedding LGBTQIA+ voices and sector stakeholders at every stage of design, delivery, and evaluation Build strategic partnerships across rail industry bodies, LGBTQIA+ organisations, academia, and corporate stakeholders, translating research and lived experience into collaborative programmes, sector engagement, and professional dissemination Oversee programme planning, risk management, and compliance, including developing detailed budget forecasts, controlling spend, and reporting against NLHF and institutional governance requirements Lead adaptive delivery, responding to complex volunteer, community, and stakeholder needs while maintaining quality outputs and ethical standards Guide LGBTQIA+ curatorial research, accessioning, and cataloguing while contributing to wider NRM collections development and acquisitions strategy Lead public engagement and advocacy across national and sector platforms, ensuring the programme informs policy, shapes professional practice, and reaches diverse audiences Deliver lectures, workshops, and media contributions on LGBTQIA+ heritage, oral history practice, and inclusive governance, representing the programme across sector conferences, broadcast platforms, and institutional events Collaborate with internal teams to integrate programme insights into public programmes, including Pride initiatives
EDUCATION
University of York
MA, Cultural Heritage Management
University of York
Bachelor's Degree (Hons), Archaeology
ABOUT ASHLYNN HUDSON-WELBURN CURATOR
I work within the national museum sector at the Science Museum Group, operating at the intersection of collections, organisational strategy, governance, inclusive practice, public accountability, and programme delivery.I contribute to strategic conversations around representation, institutional responsibility, and the long-term stewardship of contested histories, focusing on how institutions exercise power: what is collected, whose voices are recognised, and how governance structures enable or constrain equity, trust, and accountability. Over more than a decade at SMG, my core work has involved developing, securing funding and sponsorship for, and ethically leading significant, politically sensitive, community-driven programmes at national scale to extend the reach of nationally significant collections. A core part of my focus has been through oral history as a methodology. Often misunderstood as the recording of interviews, I approach this holistically as the design and governance of complex, community-led systems for collecting, interpreting, and stewarding sensitive and complex histories. This combines strategic oversight, stakeholder diplomacy, and audience focus with responsible and collaborative engagement.My programmes align with SMG project management frameworks, akin to RIBA stages. Characterised as a \"gamechanger\" by the Director for Transformation & Masterplan at the British Museum, my work has been grounded in rigorous research to translate complex histories into accessible and engaging experiences while embedding inclusive practice into governance structures, shaping cross-group policy and safeguarding public trust.My work has included leading cross-Group initiatives spanning the stewardship of a national collection, managing visitor operations for a top-ranked attraction, undertaking original research, and developing organisational policy to establish the Group’s ‘Open for All’ strategic pillar. My activities included establishing and governing colleague networks across the Group, including the LGBTQIA+ network I now co-chair, and developing and running engagement initiatives for industry partners and the public.I am a gay woman. My work spans transport and LGBTQIA+ histories, including trans and non-binary experiences. Alongside professional expertise, my lived experience informs how I embed ethical, community-led approaches within organisational systems. I am particularly motivated by roles that combine strategic oversight with public accountability, where governance, ethical decision-making, and community trust are central.
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