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About Us
Close up photograph of part of the Norman Arch, which was the entrances to the North Hall

David Wright 

Assistant Curator (Exhibitions) 

Telephone: +44(0)191 3341214 

(email at david.wright@durham.ac.uk)  

Overview 

David Wright is part of Durham University’s Museums, Galleries and Exhibitions Team, working on public facing projects across all of the University’s visitor attractions. David’s work helps to connect local, national and international audiences with academic research and the University’s world-class collections.  

Biography 

David started his career as an exhibition guide at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, before moving onto collections access and engagement roles at Discovery Museum, Great North Run Culture and Seven Stories: National Centre for Children’s Books. As his career developed, David began to specialise in exhibition projects, with a particular focus on engaging with non-traditional audiences.  

After joining the University in 2016, David has worked on the temporary exhibition programme at Palace Green Library, Durham Castle and the World Heritage Site Visitor Centre, developing and delivering projects alongside academics, research groups, and collection experts. 

Since 2020, David has led the development of Durham’s online exhibition programme, which won an award for online storytelling in the 2022 Shorthand Awards. Examples of some of these online projects can be found here: https://stories.durham.ac.uk/online-exhibitions/ 

David has also developed and delivered several external projects with a focus on alternative and overlooked histories, working as Project Curator for the Homeless History of Newcastle project (2018 – 19), a collections development consultant for Sporting Heritage (2020), and an exhibition researcher for Showtown, Blackpool (2022 – 23). 

David also delivers teaching across multiple courses, with a particular focus on developing curatorial skills and methods of audience engagement. 

Research Interests 

  • Museum interpretation and exhibition narrative 
  • Design approaches in museum exhibitions 
  • Making academic research accessible for non-academic audiences 
  • Online exhibitions 
  • Digital innovation and strategy in museums 

Selected Exhibitions 

Conference Proceedings