Miriam King

Miriam King is National Learning & Engagement Convenor at the National Portrait Gallery in London. She is passionate about supporting communities to shape the future they want to see and believes in the power of young people to drive social change.

Miriam King will be speaking at the Creative Museums Summit 2026 :

Portraits, Power and Young People

What happens when young people are trusted not just to respond to museum interpretation, but to design it? This presentation shares the youth engagement approach behind Journeys with Mai, a national partnership project centred on Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai. Across four cities, young people became co-authors: shaping displays, creating digital work, leading events and challenging dominant Western narratives. Miriam King will share practical lessons on handing over creative power, building trust, working with discomfort, and creating interpretation that speaks to young people’s lives, identities and experiences.