Dr Marenka Thompson-Odlum

Marenka Thompson-Odlum is Research Curator (Critical Perspectives) at the Pitt Rivers Museum.

Marenka's doctoral research at the University of Glasgow explored Glasgow’s role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade through the material culture housed at Glasgow Museums.  At the Pitt Rivers Museum, Marenka leads on curatorial work, exhibitions and displays that explore new critical pathways through the collection, bringing them to new and existing audiences. Marenka is leading an ArtFund project to commission new objects for the Museum's collections, build new relationships with indigenous communities, and enhance the Museum's displays, and is also Co-I on the AHRC-funded project Making the Museum. In 2024 Marenka curated the Hawaiian exhibition at the Pitt Rivers Museum, involving numerous collaborations and activities with community partners.