NORA STRAW
HERITAGE / ARCHAEOLOGY / ORAL HISTORIES
An aspiring curator from West Yorkshire, UK. Having studied archaeology at Durham University and UCL, I moved into the heritage sector after seeing firsthand the importance of connecting with heritage and local histories. I started working at the National Trust in small house museums in 2021, curating a programme of events such as poetry sessions and creative lates inspired by the artwork of Khadambi Asalache, former homeowner of 575 Wandsworth road.
After living for a year in Spain, working at a Turkish archaeological institute, I returned to London in 2025 to begin a career at the Museum of Croydon managing their front of house as their Volunteer Coordinator and Visitor Experience Officer. Here I found my object-handling and interpretation writing skills put to use and worked closely with colleagues to assist with all sides of exhibition development and execution to help deliver exhibitions such as Art and Joy, FORGE: Industries of Croydon, and The Sound of Croydon: Celebrating Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
Outside of work, I actively cultivate my engagement with contemporary artistic practice. I am a member of October Gallery’s Youth Collective, which has given me the confidence to pursue my own artistic creations as well as the opportunity to co-curate an exhibition in a small team of young artists which launched in August. I also run a regular Substack featuring exhibition reviews and my thoughts on art I like and curatorial practices, as well as launched my own oral history project.
At the end of 2025, I announced 36 hours, my first solo curatorial project which will be taking place at Lewisham Arthouse in summer 2026. This is an artist-led exhibition inspired by Walter Hopps’ 1978 exhibition of the same name.
That’s it – its just me 🙂