The Wellcome Collection is a free museum located in Euston, London, that explores ‘health and human experience’ (Wellcome Collection, 2024). I knew about it as a place to work since it is popular on social media, but I was unaware of the collections that they hosted. Upon my visit, I went to their Kola Nut exhibit. 

Largely unaware of the history of the organisation or the Kola Nut, the exhibition tour was informative. Among all the information I received, two things stood out. One, Wellcome Collective openly talks about issues related to colonisation and slavery through people of colour and through their diverse exhibits. Two, Wellcome Collective, founded from the collection of Sir Henry Wellcome, is a collection of objects, the ownership of which is rooted in colonialism, racism and sexism. 

My immediate response to the founder’s and the organisation’s history was to wonder why the organisation still retains its name, as it has become a common practice to change names of institutions that have similar origins. Upon doing this week’s readings though, I wonder if it is more of a substantial change to not alter the name of the institution but rather, make changes on a symbolic, emotional, and organisational level (Wong, 2020). 

While researching on Wellcome Collective’s website, I found an article about the history and contexts of their collections, which further linked out to specific articles about their colonial roots, culturally sensitive items, and human remains (Wellcome Collective, 2024). These articles do a balanced job of acknowledging the historical and societal factors behind the current state of the collection, while stating the organisation’s response. But browsing on the other parts of their websites like their about page have little to no mention of the contexts within which the museum came to be. 

The problem, therefore, with Wellcome Collective is that though they acknowledge the influence of colonialism, racism, and sexism over their history, the acknowledgement doesn’t feel authentic since it is not consistent. 

To the people visiting the Wellcome Collective website, this might seem confusing. Not only could this affect the daily workings of the organisation, but it could also impact the integrity of the brand, which becomes extremely important in the case of a brand that has colonial roots. 

I applaud Wellcome Collective’s initiatives to integrate cultural and thematic diversity in their exhibitions, empathetic verbal language, and inclusive hiring. However, for an institution that is open to access and made for the dissemination of knowledge, it seems counterproductive to present their history in such an opaque manner. Therefore, I would recommend them to openly talk about their colonial, racist, and sexist history along with the steps they are consciously and regularly taking in order to change the narrative. This can be done through a singular narrative that runs across all brand touchpoints and one that is meticulously connected, through which a user can easily navigate without feeling as though information is kept from them or being presented vaguely.