Case studies: Trevor Walden
Eleanor Beyer
Eleanor is an art historian working in the conservation and science department of the British Museum
The aim of my application was to further my knowledge of 19th century paintings, I also wanted to experience how different museums are operated and structured, in particular when housing Victorian collections or if they were formed in the 19th century.
These were significant gaps in my knowledge noted as a CPD area for improvement which I aspired to fulfill. In order to do this, I chose galleries and museums to visit which had large collections of Victorian art and held associations with the period, several northern and regional galleries and museums fitted this remit.
Where possible to ensure I got the most out of each visit I contacted museums to arrange to meet curators and managers, or engaged staff in conversation during visits.
The visits gave me a valuable chance to meet other museum staff, and form connections. For example, I met curators at the Walker Art Gallery and discussed current 19th century research they were working on. I plan to use these contacts in future to assist me with any research, and keep in touch with developments.
Looking at the paintings directly allowed me to observe textures, and methods, as well as to have an overall feel for them. I am now considering how I can pass on what I have learnt through seeing the paintings as an article to be published in a journal.
I have written about what I learnt overall through visits to Liverpool in a comments area published on the Museum's website.
These notes comment on the style of displays including examples of what particularly interested me on each visit.
Receipt of the grant has enabled me to improve my understanding of nineteenth century paintings and their context, as well as learning about how different museums are operated and forming contacts, and am very grateful for the support.
Stuart Burch
Stuart is senior lecturer in museum studies, Nottingham Trent University
'The grant from the Trevor Walden Trust partially funded a fieldtrip to the Faroe Islands. Additional financial support came from the Nordic Spaces initiative (www.nordicspaces.eu).
Prior to the visit I gave a talk to my fellow members of the East Midlands AMA Support Group.
The trip took place from 2-9 July 2009. Repeated visits were made to the principal art museum of the Faroe Islands: Listasavn Føroya.
Interviews were conducted with the director of the museum and his assistant. The permanent collection was studied in detail, including works held in the museum store.
On Tuesday 7 July, I gave a public talk in the museum entitled 'Framing the north: art and museums in northern Europe'. The talk, which was attended by approximately 25 people, gave me an opportunity to outline my current research.
I wish to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to the trustees. It is my intention to promote the Trevor Walden Trust at every opportunity.
With this in mind, I will strongly encourage all AMA candidates to consider making an application in support of their continuing professional development.'
Rebeca Medrano Arnaez
Rebeca is the Formal Learning Manager at Explore-At-Bristol
'Thanks to the support of the Trevor Walden Trust I was able to undertake the Certificate in Fundraising Skills course between the 3 November and the 12 December 2008.
The Certificate in Fundraising Skills is an online fundraising programme aimed at fundraisers working in charities and/or community organisations. The course is provided by Fundraising Skills Ltd. and accredited by the Open College.
Six months after having completed the course, we have secured some funding from the AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust for a one year project working with Key Stage three teachers.
The project aims to develop teachers' confidence and skills in teaching high quality open-ended investigations supported by At-Bristol's exhibits.
I am very grateful to the Trevor Walden Trust for supporting my professional development with this grant.'
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby is the Collections Interpretation Officer at Thinktank. Jack received a Trevor Walden grant in 2006 to visit recently completed or renovated industrial galleries in four major museums. Jack was awarded his AMA in 2007.
'The aims were to feed into the development of a new exhibitions strategy for Thinktank, Birmingham science museum, and to produce an article for publication.
'Analysis of the galleries took rather longer than expected, largely because they were all very different, not just in theme but interpretive approach and methods.
'This shows that there is not currently an overarching theory of how to interpret the history of industry and technology in museums. After much thought, I have classified the approaches taken by the museums in a way that will form the central discussion in my article:
· Chronological approach (Energy Hall, Science Museum)
· Social historical approach (National Waterfront Museum)
· Iconic approach (National Museum of Scotland)
· Technological approach (ExtraOrdinary, Snibston Discovery Park)
'Information from the visits about the very different interpretive strategies used at each museum proved valuable as I worked with colleagues to develop what was eventually titled the Exhibitions Masterplan for Thinktank.
'We reviewed the various approaches taken and plan to integrate different aspects of the social historical, iconic and technological approaches into our overall interpretive strategy, which will be led by the science embodied in the historical artefacts.
'As the masterplan was developed, photographs I had taken on the visits were used to inform Thinktank's consultants and designers of the kind of interactive exhibits that the museum wanted to see in concept sketches. My proposal for the article has been accepted for publication in the journal Social History in Museums.
'The project fulfilled my original CPD goal of keeping up with current trends in interpretation and curatorship, and I have also benefited from strengthened relationships with staff at some of the museums I visited.
'I have partially fulfilled the second CPD goal contributing my own research and ideas to the museum's exhibitions strategy, communicating my conclusions to the wider profession, and this will be completed when the article is published.'
Rhiannon Hiles
Rhiannon Hiles is the keeper of interpretation at Beamish, the North of England Open Air Museum. She received a grant from the Trevor Walden Trust in 2004 for a research study trip to Ireland. Rhiannon was awarded her AMA in 2007.
'The aim of my visit was to gain insight into the collections and interpretative and disabled access practices of open air and folk museums in Northern and Western Ireland.
'In order to do this I chose to visit several museum and open air sites. These were the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh, the Museum of Country Life in Castlebar, Bunratty Folk Park in County Clare and the Giants Causeway. At each location I looked in detail at access, facilities, display and interpretation.
'The folk collections at the Ulster Amercian Folk Park and at Castlebar emphasised a sense of cultural identity through their exploration of social histories via a variety of interpretive methods. The folk collections at Castlebar attempt to show a more 'real' view of rural Ireland than the idyllic romanticised image more often portrayed through the media and tourism. This enables visitors to better understand the cultural and social history of Ireland.
'From my visit I learnt how important it is for museums to have a strong interpretative strategy underpinned through policy level decisions. Context and imagery can have a meaningful impact on the viewer if conducted well, with thought and attention to detail: for example the use of a natural setting to assist with interpretation as seen at the Ulster American Folk Park and the Giants Causeway.
'I also saw that artefacts and materials require thorough research and awareness of their appropriate use in order that they be displayed well.'
Corrina Bower
Corrina Bower is the curator at the Farmland Museum in Cambridge. She received a grant from the Trevor Walden Trust in 2004 to attend the Rural Museums Network Conference - Breaking New Ground - at the Museum of English rural Life (MERL) in Reading. Corrina was awarded her AMA in 2005.
'The title of the conference was Breaking New Ground which also had particular resonance in respect of my own experiences as a relative newcomer to the area of rural museums.
'During the two days we participated in workshops on marketing, collections care and documentation and network partnerships. Sir John Marsh gave us a very informative lecture on the state of UK farming today and the conference included a tour of the outside of the new building to house MERL.
'To round off the conference we gathered for discussions about how we felt the conference had gone and looked at ways for the network to progress. A steering group was formed that will report back to the network in the summer about the decisions made.
'I hadn't taken part in anything like this before and it was good to have the opportunity to really get to grips with the issues and find out what experiences others have gone through. The debates were healthy lively and very interesting. There were plenty of opportunities for networking during the two days and I was able to get some good tips from a conservator about our leatherwork collection.
'I felt it was important for our museum to be represented at the conference and I learnt a lot as well as making contacts and networking with others in the same field but in different regions. We were probably the smallest independent museum there as well so it was an excellent opportunity to get involved.'
Christina McGregor
Christina McGregor is the collections information manager at the Wallace Collection. She received a grant from the Trevor Walden Trust in 2005 for a study visit to Los Angeles and to attend the Museums and the Web Conference in Vancouver. Christina was awarded her AMA in 2005.
'The purpose of this study visit was two-fold: to visit the Getty Center and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to review their provision of collections information to the public and to participate in the Museums And The Web 2005 Conference.
'I visited the permanent fine and decorative arts galleries at LACMA and a temporary exhibition on Images of Fashion from the Court of Louis XIV. The Getty guide room was extremely useful and the Getty in general is very user focused. While there I visited the permanent exhibitions and several temporary exhibitions, the Family Room, the Art Information room and the GettyGuide room.
'The Museums And The Web Conference ran over four full days with more than 540 delegates from 26 countries. I attended the opening and closing plenary sessions, 13 papers, four mini-workshops and various demonstrations. Both speakers at the opening plenary addressed the theme of the role of museums in society and one stressed the necessity of the full participation in society by all, achieved through the removal of barriers and the equalisation of opportunities.
I found the mini-workshops particularly beneficial and I also met several UK based web designers and content management system providers. As well as making new professional contacts I also met up with old ones. The only drawback of the conference was the overlap on workshops on one day and my inability to be in more than one place at once.'
Eleanor is an art historian working in the conservation and science department of the British Museum
The aim of my application was to further my knowledge of 19th century paintings, I also wanted to experience how different museums are operated and structured, in particular when housing Victorian collections or if they were formed in the 19th century.
These were significant gaps in my knowledge noted as a CPD area for improvement which I aspired to fulfill. In order to do this, I chose galleries and museums to visit which had large collections of Victorian art and held associations with the period, several northern and regional galleries and museums fitted this remit.
Where possible to ensure I got the most out of each visit I contacted museums to arrange to meet curators and managers, or engaged staff in conversation during visits.
The visits gave me a valuable chance to meet other museum staff, and form connections. For example, I met curators at the Walker Art Gallery and discussed current 19th century research they were working on. I plan to use these contacts in future to assist me with any research, and keep in touch with developments.
Looking at the paintings directly allowed me to observe textures, and methods, as well as to have an overall feel for them. I am now considering how I can pass on what I have learnt through seeing the paintings as an article to be published in a journal.
I have written about what I learnt overall through visits to Liverpool in a comments area published on the Museum's website.
These notes comment on the style of displays including examples of what particularly interested me on each visit.
Receipt of the grant has enabled me to improve my understanding of nineteenth century paintings and their context, as well as learning about how different museums are operated and forming contacts, and am very grateful for the support.
Stuart Burch
Stuart is senior lecturer in museum studies, Nottingham Trent University
'The grant from the Trevor Walden Trust partially funded a fieldtrip to the Faroe Islands. Additional financial support came from the Nordic Spaces initiative (www.nordicspaces.eu).
Prior to the visit I gave a talk to my fellow members of the East Midlands AMA Support Group.
The trip took place from 2-9 July 2009. Repeated visits were made to the principal art museum of the Faroe Islands: Listasavn Føroya.
Interviews were conducted with the director of the museum and his assistant. The permanent collection was studied in detail, including works held in the museum store.
On Tuesday 7 July, I gave a public talk in the museum entitled 'Framing the north: art and museums in northern Europe'. The talk, which was attended by approximately 25 people, gave me an opportunity to outline my current research.
I wish to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to the trustees. It is my intention to promote the Trevor Walden Trust at every opportunity.
With this in mind, I will strongly encourage all AMA candidates to consider making an application in support of their continuing professional development.'
Rebeca Medrano Arnaez
Rebeca is the Formal Learning Manager at Explore-At-Bristol
'Thanks to the support of the Trevor Walden Trust I was able to undertake the Certificate in Fundraising Skills course between the 3 November and the 12 December 2008.
The Certificate in Fundraising Skills is an online fundraising programme aimed at fundraisers working in charities and/or community organisations. The course is provided by Fundraising Skills Ltd. and accredited by the Open College.
Six months after having completed the course, we have secured some funding from the AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust for a one year project working with Key Stage three teachers.
The project aims to develop teachers' confidence and skills in teaching high quality open-ended investigations supported by At-Bristol's exhibits.
I am very grateful to the Trevor Walden Trust for supporting my professional development with this grant.'
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby is the Collections Interpretation Officer at Thinktank. Jack received a Trevor Walden grant in 2006 to visit recently completed or renovated industrial galleries in four major museums. Jack was awarded his AMA in 2007.
'The aims were to feed into the development of a new exhibitions strategy for Thinktank, Birmingham science museum, and to produce an article for publication.
'Analysis of the galleries took rather longer than expected, largely because they were all very different, not just in theme but interpretive approach and methods.
'This shows that there is not currently an overarching theory of how to interpret the history of industry and technology in museums. After much thought, I have classified the approaches taken by the museums in a way that will form the central discussion in my article:
· Chronological approach (Energy Hall, Science Museum)
· Social historical approach (National Waterfront Museum)
· Iconic approach (National Museum of Scotland)
· Technological approach (ExtraOrdinary, Snibston Discovery Park)
'Information from the visits about the very different interpretive strategies used at each museum proved valuable as I worked with colleagues to develop what was eventually titled the Exhibitions Masterplan for Thinktank.
'We reviewed the various approaches taken and plan to integrate different aspects of the social historical, iconic and technological approaches into our overall interpretive strategy, which will be led by the science embodied in the historical artefacts.
'As the masterplan was developed, photographs I had taken on the visits were used to inform Thinktank's consultants and designers of the kind of interactive exhibits that the museum wanted to see in concept sketches. My proposal for the article has been accepted for publication in the journal Social History in Museums.
'The project fulfilled my original CPD goal of keeping up with current trends in interpretation and curatorship, and I have also benefited from strengthened relationships with staff at some of the museums I visited.
'I have partially fulfilled the second CPD goal contributing my own research and ideas to the museum's exhibitions strategy, communicating my conclusions to the wider profession, and this will be completed when the article is published.'
Rhiannon Hiles
Rhiannon Hiles is the keeper of interpretation at Beamish, the North of England Open Air Museum. She received a grant from the Trevor Walden Trust in 2004 for a research study trip to Ireland. Rhiannon was awarded her AMA in 2007.
'The aim of my visit was to gain insight into the collections and interpretative and disabled access practices of open air and folk museums in Northern and Western Ireland.
'In order to do this I chose to visit several museum and open air sites. These were the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh, the Museum of Country Life in Castlebar, Bunratty Folk Park in County Clare and the Giants Causeway. At each location I looked in detail at access, facilities, display and interpretation.
'The folk collections at the Ulster Amercian Folk Park and at Castlebar emphasised a sense of cultural identity through their exploration of social histories via a variety of interpretive methods. The folk collections at Castlebar attempt to show a more 'real' view of rural Ireland than the idyllic romanticised image more often portrayed through the media and tourism. This enables visitors to better understand the cultural and social history of Ireland.
'From my visit I learnt how important it is for museums to have a strong interpretative strategy underpinned through policy level decisions. Context and imagery can have a meaningful impact on the viewer if conducted well, with thought and attention to detail: for example the use of a natural setting to assist with interpretation as seen at the Ulster American Folk Park and the Giants Causeway.
'I also saw that artefacts and materials require thorough research and awareness of their appropriate use in order that they be displayed well.'
Corrina Bower
Corrina Bower is the curator at the Farmland Museum in Cambridge. She received a grant from the Trevor Walden Trust in 2004 to attend the Rural Museums Network Conference - Breaking New Ground - at the Museum of English rural Life (MERL) in Reading. Corrina was awarded her AMA in 2005.
'The title of the conference was Breaking New Ground which also had particular resonance in respect of my own experiences as a relative newcomer to the area of rural museums.
'During the two days we participated in workshops on marketing, collections care and documentation and network partnerships. Sir John Marsh gave us a very informative lecture on the state of UK farming today and the conference included a tour of the outside of the new building to house MERL.
'To round off the conference we gathered for discussions about how we felt the conference had gone and looked at ways for the network to progress. A steering group was formed that will report back to the network in the summer about the decisions made.
'I hadn't taken part in anything like this before and it was good to have the opportunity to really get to grips with the issues and find out what experiences others have gone through. The debates were healthy lively and very interesting. There were plenty of opportunities for networking during the two days and I was able to get some good tips from a conservator about our leatherwork collection.
'I felt it was important for our museum to be represented at the conference and I learnt a lot as well as making contacts and networking with others in the same field but in different regions. We were probably the smallest independent museum there as well so it was an excellent opportunity to get involved.'
Christina McGregor
Christina McGregor is the collections information manager at the Wallace Collection. She received a grant from the Trevor Walden Trust in 2005 for a study visit to Los Angeles and to attend the Museums and the Web Conference in Vancouver. Christina was awarded her AMA in 2005.
'The purpose of this study visit was two-fold: to visit the Getty Center and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to review their provision of collections information to the public and to participate in the Museums And The Web 2005 Conference.
'I visited the permanent fine and decorative arts galleries at LACMA and a temporary exhibition on Images of Fashion from the Court of Louis XIV. The Getty guide room was extremely useful and the Getty in general is very user focused. While there I visited the permanent exhibitions and several temporary exhibitions, the Family Room, the Art Information room and the GettyGuide room.
'The Museums And The Web Conference ran over four full days with more than 540 delegates from 26 countries. I attended the opening and closing plenary sessions, 13 papers, four mini-workshops and various demonstrations. Both speakers at the opening plenary addressed the theme of the role of museums in society and one stressed the necessity of the full participation in society by all, achieved through the removal of barriers and the equalisation of opportunities.
I found the mini-workshops particularly beneficial and I also met several UK based web designers and content management system providers. As well as making new professional contacts I also met up with old ones. The only drawback of the conference was the overlap on workshops on one day and my inability to be in more than one place at once.'
