Art in UK public collections is owned by all of us, but do you sometimes look at art and think 'what is that?' Well, we're here to help!

Your Art, Unlocked is a new podcast series about unexpected objects in museum collections.

The second series features artworks from the Hunterian, University of Warwick Art Collection, the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Pallant House Gallery, Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, and Ulster Museum.

The first series featured artworks from Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums, F. E. McWilliam Gallery & Studio, Walker Art Gallery, The Box Plymouth and Cyfarthfa Castle & Park. You can listen to all six episodes of series one here.

In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, art historian, writer and educator Melissa Baksh visits Pallant House Gallery in Chichester to unlock a subversive sculpture by artist Nina Saunders.

Mr William Morris's Pan for the Application of Utilitarian Cleaning

This object resembles a dustpan but it's covered in a rich red and gold fabric, and it appears soft rather than sturdy. It feels both familiar and strange – but what exactly is it and what era does it belong to? Turns out it has a lot to do with the Victorian designer William Morris and his belief that ordinary household objects should be both useful and beautiful.

Miriam O'Conner Perks and Melissa Baksh recording at Pallant House Gallery, June 2026

Melissa talks to Nina about her love of Morris and why she can't stop transforming furniture, while Miriam O'Connor Perks, curator at Pallant House Gallery, explains how this unsettling sculpture came about.

This is your art in your museums and galleries, so let's get to know it a little better.

Your Art, Unlocked is produced by Art UK and supported by Bloomberg Connects. Listen and follow each week wherever you get your podcasts.