Irish female historians have been making waves since the 19th century with historians such as Emily Lawless, Alice Stopford Green, Mary Hayden etc. paving the way for historians of Irish history and inspiring generations of future Irish historians. And as any historian will let you know finding a place that collates resources, sources, and courses (I couldn’t resist an alliteration!) for their particular discipline can be hazardous if that discipline is either niche or under-researched.
Sophie Taueber-Arp, Zurich, 1916/17, Unknown photographer. Original in collection of Stiftung Hans Arp und Sophie Taeuber-Arp.
‘A long overdue recognition of Taeuber-Arp’s pivotal contribution to modern art and design…’ [Tate Modern Website] as with most retrospectives of famous twentieth century female artists the long overdue long overdue retrospective comes years and even decades after the artist has died.
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest etc. ever thought of these digital social media platforms as a method of research or public engagement as an historian or museum professional? More and more people in 2019 have social media profiles that highlight their work to a wider, often global audience in a way that people twenty years ago could only dream off. I have and do use Twitter (and soon Instagram) daily to interact with historians across the world and to catch-up on the latest historical research and news whilst also promoting myself as an historian, blogger and curator.
On Monday (10th June to be exact) I participated in a #MuseumHour discussion Twitter about freelancing in the museum world. Museum professionals across Twitter discussed how and why they became a freelancer whilst others (myself included) tuned in to obtain information on how to get that first elusive contract as a freelancer whilst also maintaining a happy work-life balance.
As a ‘Women Curator’ or just simply a ‘Curator’ (I abhor when people put ‘Women’ or ‘Female’ in front of Historian or Curator; why not just the one word? My gender does not determine my ability to curate exhibitions or dessiminate history!) I found this article that was Tweeted by Amgueddfa Library (Library of the National Museum of Wales) interesting as it details information about the first woman, Joan Beauchamp Procter, a Zoologist, to be appointed as a Curator of the Reptile Department at the National History Museum in London.