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Case study: the museum assistant
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Jeff Smyth
Museum of St Albans
Jeff Smyth's job as an assistant at the Museum of St Albans provides the perfect balance to his work as an artist. Jeff, 40, gave up his career as an audio/visual technician a few years ago to pursue a fine art degree. He now specialises in installation sculpture, which he produces in his spare time, and really benefits from his involvement in temporary exhibitions at the museum.
'It's hands-on when it comes to helping put up exhibitions. And seeing the exhibitions coming and going enables me to pick up on ideas,' says Jeff.
But it's mainly a front of house job - meeting and greeting visitors and working in the shop. 'My job is to make sure everything is ticking over smoothly, selling items in the shop and interpreting the collections for people coming in,' says Jeff.
It's an informal guiding role, but one that can make or break the visitors' experience. 'Somebody will ask what's the meaning of the quote on that display board and you need to know it's by Ebeneezer Shaw rather than George Bernard.'
Jeff has no formal museum qualifications and he reckons the job is suitable for 'almost anybody with a general interest in what's going on at the museum'.
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