New exhibition explores just futures of education
A new interactive exhibition based on Department of Education research brings conversations about educational justice to Bristol communities.
Developed through the Reparative Futures of Education (Repair-Ed) project, the ‘If Were Ours to Imagine’ interactive exhibition will be housed at We The Curious from July to December 2026 before touring three Bristol communities in 2027.
The exhibitions will invite children, families and local residents to explore how education has been experienced by the people of Bristol and to contribute their own experiences and ideas for making it fairer.
The exhibition draws on more than two years of participatory research with over 300 children, former pupils, teachers, school staff, parents and community knowledge-holders across Bristol. Through oral histories, arts-based research and community collaboration, the Repair-Ed project has created a publicly accessible “living archive” exploring how education can respond to the city’s long histories of racial and class inequality.
Professor Arathi Sriprakash, Principal Investigator of the Repair-Ed project, said: “The exhibition is generating so many imaginative and vitally important ideas about educational justice from children and adults alike. We are excited about taking up these ideas in our ongoing research.”
While the exhibition at We The Curious is expected to reach around 34,000 visitors, the travelling exhibition has been developed to ensure the research is accessible to communities who may face barriers to visiting the city centre venue.
Supported by the University of Oxford’s SDG Impact Fund, the free exhibitions and activities will be hosted in local community spaces across Bristol, creating opportunities for dialogue and participation where people live.
The Repair-Ed project is a five-year UKRI-funded programme, working with 10 primary schools and their surrounding communities in Bristol. The ‘If Schools Were Ours to Imagine’ exhibition demonstrates how collaborative research can support public engagement while amplifying community voices in shaping more equitable futures for education.
