Contemporary Connections: South Asian Heritage

Contemporary Connections: South Asian Heritage is a continuing display at Weston Park Museum, and it's one of those things that's worth a proper look if you're around the museum this autumn. It was built in collaboration with a group of local co-curators with lived experience of South Asian heritage, and the whole thing asks a pretty direct question: how can museums reflect life as it is now, through themes shaped by Sheffield's own South Asian communities?

That's the contemporary side of it, but it sits alongside stories of the pioneering South Asian immigrants who arrived in the 20th century and built their communities here. Six Sheffield residents speak about what their heritage and their homes in the city mean to them, so you get a mix of the broader history and the personal, first-hand accounts that make it feel rooted in the city rather than just a general overview. The research was led by David Holland, with material on loan from Sunrit Culture Group and Sheffield City Archives and Local Studies Library.

It's part of the wider offering at Weston Park Museum, which opened in 1875 and celebrated its 150th birthday in 2025. If you're heading in, you'll find it alongside some of the museum's long-standing favourites like Spike the Woolly Rhino and Snowy the Polar Bear, as well as galleries like Picturing Sheffield, Ancient Egypt, and the natural science showcase What On Earth.

Entry is free, though they do ask for a £5 donation. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, 11am to 4pm, and it's closed on Mondays, including Bank Holidays. It's a continuing display, so there's no rush to catch it by a certain date—you can just fit it in whenever you're next in the park.