Dr Michele Curtis is a multi-award-winning artist, author and heritage interpreter whose distinctive practice has reshaped how difficult histories are understood and celebrated in Britain. Born and raised in Bristol to parents of the Windrush generation, she has dedicated her career to uncovering and honouring the contributions of Black British communities, transforming both physical spaces and public consciousness through art that educates, empowers and inspires.
Since launching her practice in 2014, Michele has pioneered an innovative approach that combines meticulous archival research with intangible cultural heritage, creating exhibitions and public art projects that make history accessible without diluting its significance. Her work addresses a gap that existed in the heritage sector, establishing methodologies now recognised as best practice nationwide. What began as a single self-funded exhibition has evolved into a cultural movement, shifting the balance of representation in Bristol and beyond.
Michele's portfolio includes four solo exhibitions, fifteen public murals, and nineteen partnership projects incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as augmented reality mobile applications. Her Seven Saints of St. Pauls project, a series of large-scale murals celebrating the founders of Bristol's St. Pauls Carnival, has become an iconic part of the city's landscape. Michele's work is officially endorsed by the Jamaican High Commission. In 2018, His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, then Jamaican High Commissioner, stated:
"Michele's work is a valuable contribution to the documentation of our presence in Britain. By mapping the achievements of the African Caribbean community in Bristol, Michele is also raising the profile of Jamaicans in the UK. Her work shares inspirational narratives of how Black people have continued to fight against indifference, oppression and racism, whilst striving to promote integration and equality. It is encouraging to see Michele educating young people, inspiring them to be the next generation of role models, whilst being an inspiration in her own right."
- His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, Jamaican High Commissioner, 2018
Michele's practice encompasses heritage interpretation for NHS trusts, museums, schools and cultural organisations, always grounded in trauma-informed methodologies and meaningful community consultation.
Recognition of Michele's transformative work includes an honorary doctorate from the University of Bristol in 2023, acknowledging her contribution to the arts, education and academia. She has received the Stanley Hooper Award, RISE Award, Mogul Minded Award, MTM Award for Art, Music and Culture, and the BBC Ruby Award for her collaborative Seven Saints of St. Pauls project with the BBC and then Bristol Poet Laureate Miles Chambers, which resulted in a series of seven award-winning programmes. Her work features in Dr Olivette Otele's African Europeans, Lily Bernheimer's The Shaping of Us, Jane Duffus's Women Who Built Bristol Vol. 1, and Martin Booth's 111 Places in Bristol That You Shouldn't Miss, whilst media coverage spans BBC, ITV, Rick Stein's Food Stories (2024) and Andi Oliver's Fabulous Feasts (2024). Classrooms have been named in her honour at both her former secondary school, Fairfield (now Fairlawn primary school), and at Hillcrest Primary School in Totterdown, Bristol.
What distinguishes Michele's approach is her commitment to collaborative storytelling where communities lead the narrative. As someone who has served as Chair of Bristol West Indian Parents and Friends Association and Chair of St. Pauls Carnival CIC, her work emerges from lived experience and deep community connections. She doesn't simply work with Global Majority communities; she is part of them, bringing authenticity and trust that cannot be manufactured. Her methodology ensures that stories are told with permission and participation rather than extraction, creating safe spaces where difficult conversations can unfold without re-traumatisation, and where joy and resistance are celebrated alongside acknowledgement of historical harm.
Michele believes fundamentally that history should be embraced, not erased. Her practice demonstrates that confronting difficult histories need not be divisive. Instead, through careful facilitation, rigorous research standards and genuine partnership, it builds understanding and cohesion. She applies an unwavering commitment to fact-checking and academic rigour whilst maintaining artistic vision, making complex histories accessible to audiences from schoolchildren to academics. Her work consistently centres voices that have been systematically excluded from heritage narratives, ensuring that interpretation directly benefits the communities whose stories are being told.
Through her two primary bodies of work, Iconic Black Britons and The Seven Saints of St. Pauls, Michele has created lasting legacies that validate lived experiences, challenge institutional gatekeeping, and assert that British history is a shared heritage that must be told in its fullness, with all voices present and valued. Her practice continues to inspire emerging artists and historians whilst providing communities with the representation and recognition they have long deserved.
