Art and Object Handler
National Maritime Museum

During my studies at university I reinforced my belief in the importance of access to culture and knew that I wanted to pursue a career path which would allow me to be involved in the preservation of objects and stories of cultural significance. After university I began volunteering at my local museum before being offered the SOCL traineeship and moving to Windsor.  

My time as a Collections Information Trainee at Royal Collection Trust (RCT) allowed me to gain experience in a multitude of work areas and as a result, choose the right career path for myself. I realised that I enjoy practical, hands-on work and as such have since moved into a more physical job role as an Art and Object Handler at the National Maritime Museum. The nature of the traineeships broad grounding has proved invaluable and I feel heavily indebted to my institution for the opportunities awarded to myself which enabled me to secure the current role I am in. 

My key work at the RCT included a range of tasks, including packing and preparing objects for display at the Buckingham Palace Summer Opening exhibition, Royal Gifts, digitising RCT’s historic painting records, installing an in-house display, Royal Travel, at Buckingham Palace, researching material for the upcoming exhibition, Russia: Royalty & the Romanovs. 

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Communications and Project Co-ordinator  Culture& 

I am interested in the ways art and memory intersect in galleries, museums, and memorials. I explored these relationships throughout my degree in the History of Art and Anthropology, focusing on the prominence of archives in art practice and theoretical discourse. These interests led me to work on exhibitions such as No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action (1960- 1990) and 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair. As a Communications Officer at Culture&, I have developed a new digital strategy and created online content. I also manage communications with partners and stakeholders around the artistic programme.

Our most recent event, Thelonious Monk: Modernist Pioneer at the British Library received high levels of engagement online and was featured on BBC 3 Radio and in the Guardian.  

Alongside this, I have had the opportunity to develop my skills as the principal producer of ‘Heritage at a World in London’, a series of radio shows exploring the diverse connections in leading museums and galleries on Resonance FM. I assisted in the production of Digital Drama’s ‘Deeds not Words: Endell St Military Hospital’ and Jocelyn Pook’s ‘Anxiety Fanfare for Variations’, a musical exploration of anxiety disorders which was performed at the Southbank Centre and Hull City of Culture 2017. Currently, I am coordinating the acquisition of the Cultural Co-operation archive to the London Metropolitan Archives and completing a Documentation Placement at the BFI. < back

Templer Study Centre Assistant  National Army Museum 

I have a background in graphic design, having studied it at degree level at Central Saint Martins. As a designer, the body of my work focuses on exploring the context and meaning of hidden stories. My interests have expanded over the last couple of years due to the different experiences I have gained working with different institutions. 

I joined the National Army Museum at an exciting time, just as it reopened.  As Templer Study Centre Assistant my role has been mainly working with the collection. The National Army Museum’s collection contains over 1.3 Million objects covering over 600 years. Due to the fact that the museum was closed for a long period of time there was a backlog of scanning requests, which I helped resolve. During my traineeship, I managed to scan over 10,000 items.  

With no previous experiences in archives I was given training on object handling, archival store standards and cataloguing classification. I have been involved in organising the archives and ensuring that there is structure and order in regards to the location control of items. Having spent so much time with the collection, I have developed a real interest in collection care and conservation and this is something I would like to develop given future opportunities.  < back

Collections Online Assistant  London Transport Museum 

I have had an interest in arts and culture from a very young age and studied Fine Art and Art History at University. Since graduating, I have worked at a number of heritage sites and this year have been working as a Trainee Curator at the London Transport Museum (LTM). 

I am now in a new role as Collections Online Assistant at LTM, developing their re-launched website.  Throughout the year at LTM I have participated in implementing and de-installing displays. I also had the pleasure of project managing and co-managing two Poster Parades; one of which was advertised in the Metro Newspaper. The temporary display of around 20 posters in the main gallery involved time management, research and interpretation and consultation with external contractors.  

Earlier this year the museum launched a new Collections Online. A highly anticipated project, the website has been built to improve access to the collections and in turn encourage users to utilise and learn from over 200 years of social history. My job has been to monitor data entry, prepare catalogue records and maintain the Museum’s data standards. I have also been involved in testing, developing and evaluating the site, including Google Analytics.  

As someone who likes to be involved in hands-on jobs, I have also enjoyed working on preventative conservation projects within the museum and Integrated Pest Management.  < back

Collections Information Trainee 
Royal Collection Trust

For my SOCL traineeship I worked at the Royal Collection Trust as a Collections Information trainee, based mainly at Windsor Castle. My main responsibilities included updating records of objects on the Collection Management System – this could be their historic locations, the object category, or cataloguing new objects. Some of the cataloguing work I was able to do was based in the Bindery, cataloguing historic finishing tools which are still used today. Another significant part of my role was helping to condition check the collection across the royal sites. This included checking books, prints and drawings, and even miniature items in Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House. I loved this hands-on aspect of my traineeship, and it helped me to learn about collection care and object handling.  

One of the highlights of my year was being able to help with the launch of the UK-India Year of Culture 2017 at Buckingham Palace. I helped to choose and research objects from the collection for a display on 18th century design in India and Britain, which is something I continue to be very interested in.  Another highlight was being able to organise and erect a display in Buckingham Palace with my fellow trainee, Alice Houghton. This was a really beneficial learning opportunity for me, and our display went through many drafts and plans. The final product was a colourful display based on the theme of ‘Trains, Planes and Automobiles’. My job as a Collections Information Trainee was wonderfully varied, and has given me essential skills I hope to take with me into the heritage sector.  

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Research, Exhibitions and Museum Shop Officer
Enfield Council 

Freelance Research Assistant for Ancient Civilisations 
Birmingham Museums Trust

During my placement at Forty Hall Estate as Programming & Learning Trainee, I contributed to many different aspects of programming, exhibitions and education. My top three activities that I really enjoyed were assisting with the new permanent exhibition re-display and installation, bringing in a number of new objects into the museum and managing the acquisitions, planning and delivering the first Forty Hall Estate Village Fête and designing and leading on a school session which focused on archaeology and Elsyng Palace. 

Gaining a diploma in Cultural Heritage has expanded my skill-set and I now feel more confident to apply to jobs that I may not have had experience for previously. In the future, I aspire to work with Archaeological objects either in a curatorial or programming capacity. Ideally, I would like to travel and gain experience in museums in Egypt or Europe. In this position I hope to open up barriers to access in cultural heritage and engage with diversifying audience participation.  

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Events Coordinator
Canal and River Trust

My favourite kind of work is creative and cultural heritage programming, running workshops, public speaking, critical thinking, writing and leadership. I am keenly interested in bringing disconnected communities together to facilitate understanding through education, community events and media. I am passionate about young people realising their potential through educational reform that offers a wider emphasis on participation, idea generating, creating, critical thinking, personal development and social sciences with the curriculum geared to the economic landscape of the future. I am interested in the ways in which the experience of loneliness, homelessness, long-term unemployment, mental illness, lack of community, lack of cultural opportunities can be alleviated. Vocationally I would like to gain experience in programming, learning and participation roles in either a cultural centre, arts organisation or charity. 

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Heritage Trainee 
Museum of Croydon 

I’ve worked as trainee at Museum of Croydon gaining experience in digital marketing, exhibitions, interpretation and collections access. Having previously worked in a national museum, I learnt how a museum service can be delivered on a smaller scale with volunteer support and a focus on local history. I particularly enjoy developing archives and collections to diversify audiences and increase public involvement.  

At the Museum of Croydon, I worked on collections connected with World War 1 and on an exhibition about the Fairfield Halls venue. I had the opportunity to research stories on Black history and share these to tell a wider story about the collections. I hope to continue to work in archives and collections with a focus on widening access. I would like to specialise in archival work and develop my knowledge. This way, I hope that I can assist researchers in shedding new light on history. Working with volunteers and the local community is important to me and I hope I can do this too. 

Using various sources, including the Museum archives, I was able to research the lives of two Trinidadian brothers, Ralph and Otho Vignalë, who had lived in Croydon prior to WW1 and subsequently volunteered with the British Army during the war. I examined the casualties of the British West Indies Regiment and presented my research in a pop-up display in the Museum. 

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