Where are the lesbians? Searching for lesbian lives in museums

Lisa Hinkins, Museum Educator and PhD Researcher at the University of Brighton, is studying the representation of lesbian lives in Brighton & Hove Museums' collections. Her research aims to understand whether the collections include historic and contemporary lesbian lives and identities, and how these are catalogued in the digital system, MIMSY. The research focuses on Fine and Decorative Arts, Fashion and Dress, World Art, and Local History. As part of the research, Lisa developed community-building workshops to inform future museum practice and stimulate diverse debate and research. The participants created a design for an automaton, a self-operating mechanical device, which disrupts traditional images of women. A small exhibition, Where are all the Lesbians?, has been curated to illustrate historic and contemporary lesbian lives, featuring objects from across the museums' collections, text panels, and workshop material. The exhibition is on display at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery from Saturday 3 October 2026 to Sunday 28 February 2027.