The Whose Heritage? project was set up in 2019 to explore the cultural legacy of colonialism at West Dean College. Working with academic staff, students, external subject specialists and source communities, the project aims to re-evaluate and inform how objects in our collection are cared for, curated, and displayed.  

An update from the West Dean College Collections team regarding the progression of the Whose Heritage? Rethinking the West Dean Collection project.

Artist Sherie Sitauze talks about her plans for her residency as part of the College's Whose Heritage? research project.

To celebrate International Women's Day 2021, we’re highlighting the work of two forthcoming artists-in-residence, Sherie Sitauze and Sonia E Barrett. Both artists have been invited to respond to the College’s African Collection as part of the Whose Heritage? research project.

In late 2019, the Collections Team started working on a project to re-evaluate how the collections are displayed throughout the Historic House. The first phase of this is currently exploring the cultural legacy of colonialism at West Dean. The first stage of the project has included a review of the African collection which comprises a wide range of ethnographic objects, natural history, and archival documents. Read the blog post to find out more about the project and one of the objects involved in the research: a Sudanese drum.