Culture Syndicates CIC

   First posted: 30th November 2016  In  Industry Trends And Critical Analysis The museum as we know it has come a long way from the conception of museums in the 19th century. The ‘typical’ museum remains to this day in the form of large institutional museums, but other forms of heritage related site are now also finding themselves under the banner of ‘museums’. The question I find myself asking, is whether the definition of museums is actually changing, or are we developing our personal understanding of museums. The dictionary definition of a museum states that a museum is ‘a building where objects of historical, scientific, or artistic interest are kept’. This definition does indeed fit the image of the typical museums such as the British Museum and the Natural History Museum. It does not however fit the numerous heritage sites, such as Stonehenge, that can be considered to be a museum, or the many National Trust properties, or the Science Centres which are conside...

   First Posted: 30th November 2016  In  Reviews As part of my internship with Culture Syndicates I am going to be working with the British Horological Institute Museum Trust (a bit of a mouthful!), a museum of time and timekeeping based in Upton Hall in Nottinghamshire, set inside lovely grounds. One of my first activities on starting my placement was a tour of the museum, to learn more about it’s amazing collection of time pieces and the history of the BHI. I was lucky enough to accompany a group of engineers on a guided tour, which was led by former curator and horological expert Alan Middleton. This provided me with a great introduction to the museum’s collection and to the work of the BHI, as well as some fascinating facts about the history of timekeeping. The BHI The BHI has been around since 1858. At that time Britain’s watchmaking industry was not hugely successful as certain regulations, such as restrictions on mixing metals in order to make watches cheaper,...

   First Posted: 30th November 2016  In  Training And Employability So the last 14 months have been a series of firsts. I firstly left my job of 8 years in Sport Development, to complete a Masters in Museum and Art Gallery studies at the University of Leeds. I undertook this course with no prior knowledge or experience, just a keen passion and interest in the subject. Following a year of introductions to this field, I then applied for the Culture Syndicates Resilience Internship programme and was fortunate to be chosen as one of the six interns for the Arts Council funded project, moving to a new city and living by myself. All new experiences and challenges. Even writing this blog is a first. I hope that this year will bring me valuable experience in the museums and heritage sector, developing new skills in areas such as audience development, interpretation and community engagement, as well as networking (this will challenge my introvert nature and benefit my future ...