Projects per year
Personal profile
Academic Background
Ph.D. History of Art, University College London
M.A. Arts Policy & Management, Birkbeck, University of London
M.A. Higher Education Practice, University of East Anglia
B.A. Mixed Media Arts, University of Westminster
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE)
Alumni of Aurora leadership programme for women (Advance HE)
Biography
Sarah's research focuses on human-animal relations and representations of wildlife in contemporary art, exhibitions and museum display, particularly with regards to ecological concerns. She has published on extinction and wildlife conservation issues in artistic and curatorial practice and is co-founder of the Curating the Sea research project, which resulted in a co-edited special issue of the Journal of Curatorial Studies (2020), the book Oceans (2023) for the Whitechapel Gallery/MIT Press Documents of Contemporary Art Series and the major exhibition Sea Inside (Sainsbury Centre, 2025).
Over the years Sarah has worked with various museums and heritage organisations in research, project management and curatorial capacities and continues to collaborate with museum colleagues on research projects.
Administrative Posts
Postgraduate Research Director, School of Art, Media and American Studies/School of History and Art History: 2023 - 2026
Organiser, World Art Research Seminar Series: 2021 - 2022
Member: Equality, Diversity & Inclusion committee, School of Art, Media & American Studies: 2021 - 2022
Research Coordinator for Art History: 2021
Teaching Interests
Sarah teaches on the BA History of Art with Gallery & Museum Studies and MA Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies. She also lectures widely on art, exhibitions and the environment and is interested in ecopedagogy as an approach to teaching and learning.
Sarah is open to supervising PhD projects on any aspects of her research specialism. She currently supervises PhD and Masters by Research projects relating to curating climate change, decolonising museum collections and representations of nonhuman animals in visual culture.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Projects
- 2 Active
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Exhibiting Oceans in the UK Today
Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
1/01/23 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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Curating Climate Change: Collecting and Displaying Ecological Crisis in UK Museums
1/10/21 → 30/09/25
Project: Training
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Curating transformation can strengthen adaptation and minimize losses and damages
Clarke, J., Haour, A., Morel, H., Forster, J., Orlove, B., Holtorf, C., Hutcheson, A., Aryee Adinorkuor, V., Brunnschweiler, C., Brooks, N., Wade, S., Wellington, N-A., Appeaning Addo, K. & P. Simpson, N., 23 Jan 2025, In: npj Climate Action. 4, 4, 4.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile14 Downloads (Pure) -
Sea Inside: Art and Marine Interiority
Wade, S. & Syperek, P., 10 Jun 2025, Can the Seas Survive Us?. Moore, T. & Paranada, J. K. (eds.).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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Challenging Trophies? Artistic and Curatorial Approaches to Displaying Hunting Trophies in a Time of Mass Extinction
Wade, S., 21 Jul 2024, (Accepted/In press) Displays der Jagd: Trophäen, Geweihsammlungen und Tierpräparate in der Wohn- und Ausstellungskultur. Förschler, S. & Schönhagen, A. S. (eds.). TranscriptResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
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Oceanic Curating
Syperek, P. & Wade, S., 26 Nov 2024, In: Environmental Humanities. 16, 3, p. 680-691 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile37 Downloads (Pure) -
Activities
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How are the Climate and Nature Crises Reshaping our Curatorial Practice?
Sarah Wade (Speaker)
16 May 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
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College Arts Association Conference
Sarah Wade (Speaker)
15 Feb 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
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Linnean Society Annual Founder's Day Lecture, 2024
Sarah Wade (Speaker)
2 Dec 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
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Connecting Oceans in Conversation with Estuary Festival & Breakwater
Sarah Wade (Speaker)
22 Jul 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop or seminar
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Connecting Oceans in Conversation: A workshop and discussion with artists Harun Morrison, Sonia Levy and Gabriella Hirst
Sarah Wade (Organiser)
18 Jul 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop or seminar