Image: McManus Gallery, London
The McManus in Dundee has opened a new display, ‘History In Our Bones: Uncovering Stories of Disability Through Time’, which examines disability in the medieval past through history, archaeology and science. The exhibition presents the stories of four people who lived with disabilities in Scotland and England between 500 and 1600 years ago, using immersive display stations to bring the material together for visitors.
According to the museum, the display is created in collaboration with researchers at the University of St Andrews and is intended to prompt visitors to rethink how disability, community and contribution have long been interconnected. The project draws on historical evidence and scientific inquiry rather than a single narrative, and the title foregrounds the idea that disability can be read through both personal lives and the traces they leave in the archaeological record.
The show forms part of the current programme at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum, a venue that is also presenting other free exhibitions across 2026 and 2027. Its website lists ‘Curtain Call: Costumes from Stage and Screen’ and ‘Border Crossings: Ten Scottish Masters of Modern Art’ alongside ‘History In Our Bones’, situating the new display within a wider season that ranges from costume design and Scottish modernism to social history and museum learning.
The exhibition’s emphasis on medieval disability gives it a distinct place in that programme. Rather than focusing on objects alone, it frames the display around four individual lives from Scotland and England, using those case studies to connect medical, archaeological and historical perspectives. The museum says the material is presented through immersive stations, suggesting an interpretive approach designed to make complex research accessible to a general audience.
The collaboration with the University of St Andrews is central to the project’s presentation. The museum identifies the display as the result of work with university researchers, and the language on its site stresses that the exhibition combines disciplines in order to reconsider familiar assumptions about the medieval past. The focus on disability also broadens the scope of museum programming at The McManus beyond art historical displays into public history and social understanding.
Admission to ‘History In Our Bones: Uncovering Stories of Disability Through Time’ is free, and the display is scheduled to remain open until Sunday 24 January 2027 at The McManus. The museum’s website lists the venue as The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum, Albert Square, Meadowside, Dundee.
