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.
In August of last year I finally got to visit the Black Country Living Museum near Birmingham. I say finally as this museum had been on my social-history-addict-museum-lover radar for quite some time and availed of a visit to a good friend to spend a day at the museum.
On our second to last day we went to the Wieliczka Salt Mine on the outskirts of Krakow. To say that the Salt Mines are nothing less than spectacular is an understatement. They are amazing, fantastic, awesome etc.! Plus if you like industrial history then this is the place for you. Read on reader (Jane Eyre reference) to find out more about what I did on my last few days in Krakow!
One of my favorite TV shows as a kid and teenager growing was ‘Art Attack’ hosted by Neil Buchanan. For those of a certain age Art Attack was the art show to go to for inspiration in the 1990s and early 2000’s. It’s sufficient enough to say that Art Attack (and being brought to museums at an early age) is the reason I studied art at University and work for museums. This blog post talks about my love of art and museums and how they are essentially one of my ‘happy places.’