Culture Syndicates CIC

   28th June 2017  In  Training And Employability After what seems like not very long at all, my time at Culture Syndicates has come to an end. I am of course very sad to leave but also excited for what the future holds! In the time I’ve had since leaving Culture Syndicates last month, I have had the chance to work on a few short term work projects. I modelled for two photoshoots near the beginning of the month – one for a new vintage clothing brand inspired by the fashions of the 50’s and 60’s, and one for a fine art photography series themed around childhood stories and fairy tales. Following this, I have just finished work at Earth and Fire, the International Ceramics Festival, which took place this year at the Welbeck Estate for the first time ever – previously it has always taken place at Rufford Country Park. Despite some nerves, set up went really smoothly, and the event ran really well at the new site. Both potters and public left some lovely feedback and hop...

   25th June 2017  In  Industry Trends And Critical Analysis This blog was prompted by the focus of Museum Week being all about women, and what a good opportunity this would be to share some of the research about the heritage workforce, which I did during my MA thesis;  ‘Barefoot at the kitchen sink?’ The Position of Women in Heritage . I am hoping to publish part of my thesis soon so watch this space (all fingers crossed please). Today I’m going to talk about what position women are in today, in terms of the heritage workforce. This topic is quite well established in the academic field (particularly in relation to archaeology and museum studies), however much less has been written regarding women in the wider heritage industry, which of course includes museums, but also historic houses and historic sites. Back in the summer of 2016 I had a search through the heritage industries’ plethora of websites with the aim of establishing who it is that runs some of our m...

   22nd June 2017  In  Industry Trends And Critical Analysis Feminism has undergone a very hectic journey throughout its life so far, from the initial surge and popularity following the suffragette movement, to radical feminism, and so called men-haters, to falling off the radar at the turn of the millennium. However, with so much new talk and action surrounding the topic of gender equality, which can be seen in events such as the #museumweek focus on women, I wonder whether the term feminism, and the feminist movement itself, is becoming popular again? As Caroline Dinenage, the Minister for Women, Equalities and Family Justice so eloquently put “This is, beyond doubt, a critical time for gender equality.” Statement by Caroline Dinenage (Government Equalities Office 2016). Progress has been made with a third of MPs now being female, the lowest ever gender pay gap on record was achieved this year (Government Equalities Office 2016), and women’s representation on the b...

   21st June 2017  In  Exploring History   The  British Horological Institute Museum  has a large collection of clocks, watches and timekeepers housed at Upton Hall. They can be seen by the public when the museum is open, on Fridays 11am-3pm from now until September 8 th . However, what most visitors to the museum don’t know is that the British Horological Institute is also in the possession of an extensive collection of horological and scientific books. The BHI’s library is incredibly important, both to the institute and the museum. It provides vital information on the history of timekeeping, as well as scientific guidance on clock and watchmaking. However, the collection is also historically significant in its own right. It contains items that would be of interest not just to horologists and clock enthusiasts, but to those interested in literary and book history too. Below is a glimpse into some fascinating and surprising finds from the collection. T...

   19th June 2017  In  Reviews This week (#museumweek, #WomenMW) is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the many inspiring women from Nottinghamshire. Below are our top three but we encourage you to go out and find all the other many stories from the women of Nottinghamshire! Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) The computer or mobile you are reading this on owes its technology to this woman. Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer, she created the first algorithm that recognised the full potential of the  Analytical Engine . After this, she continued her strong interest in science and maths, reviewing several of her contemporary’s work. She was also one of the children of the infamous poet, Lord Byron. She is buried at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, down the road in Hucknall. Elizabeth Hooton (1628-1671) Elizabeth was the ‘Mother of Quakerism’, she held meetings in her home in Ollerton, the ‘Children of Light’. She travelled to America to preach the Quaker relig...

   14th June 2017  In  Training And Employability What a Fantastic 7 Months After working as a Resilience Syndicate Intern at Culture Syndicates and a Collections and Interpretation Intern at Rutland County Museum for the last 7 months, I am (very) unfortunately leaving! This is definitely a bittersweet moment for me. The museum industry is very competitive – particularly for jobs involving collections. Since it took me quite a long time to get a job last year, I thought the same would be true for this year. What I did not expect was to get 2 interviews from what was nearly the first jobs I applied for and I did not expect to be offered a job at a national museum. What I’ve learnt: This internship has been so valuable in getting me equipped for the industry. I’ve been lucky to attend a plethora of conferences – from Ironbridge’s ‘Breaking Boundaries’ where I was inspired to think about diversity in the sector, to the East Midlands Heritage Conference where I gained a...

   13th June 2017  In  Reviews Alfred East Art Gallery – Kettering Around this time of year, the Alfred East Art Gallery normally hosts an exhibition called the ‘Open’, which calls for submissions from the public and judges the work before it is hung. For this year only, moving away from the norm, the exhibition allowed anyone to submit work, no matter their age. There was only one requirement, the submission had to be a finished size of 30x40cm or 40cm 3  for 3D work. Aptly titled  Fill This [Space ], there were around 200 submissions, all of which were guaranteed to be hung or displayed in the exhibition. This not only gave everyone a chance to be on display in their local art gallery, but also challenged artists to work within a certain size restriction (something they may not have done before). I have not had much Art Gallery experience before, so I was very lucky to be involved with submissions. It was a great experience, as so many people felt happy a...

   7th June 2017  In  Industry Trends And Critical Analysis Let’s talk about Thursday… With the 2017 election nearly upon us, it is time to consider what the results might mean for the museums and heritage sector. In the Red: what will Labour do for culture? £1 billion Cultural Capital Fund To be administrated by Arts Council England, the Cultural Capital Fund would be used for a variety of things including upgrading current cultural infrastructure to be ready for the digital age, investing in Cultural Clusters, and a focus on revenue intake for museums. Some of the fund would also be focused on low engagement areas where new museums could be built with national, or local focuses. End to the Conservative Cuts A promise to stop the cuts that have been increasing in number under the Conservative government, tied in with the promise of new funding opportunities. Sector Specific Careers Advice Creating a sector specific careers advice campaign to increase the number of i...