The Last Intern Standing: Siân’s New Job
I’m still standing…
A lot has changed in a year. I started writing this blog almost a year to the day I left my previous role with the National Trust. A year ago, I had only been to Nottingham twice before, once for the internship interview and another to house-hunt. I didn’t know anyone, not even my housemate, but that is certainly not how I am leaving. This has truly been a unique opportunity in the heritage sector, so I’d like to reflect on some bits I consider to be the best .
Museum placement
I’m not sure I could call it work most days. I had so much fun at times, I was really in my element with the collection and carrying out research for exhibitions. My daily routine included exhibition installs, collection cleaning, pest management and above all else, learning so much. I even gained my first taste of art gallery experience which was really more than I expected. I want to thank Kettering Museum and Art Gallery for a truly memorable placement. I’ll miss you all, but not the commute.
#RSInterns
Our team of six Resilience Syndicate interns started as strangers and left as friends – although I’m still not happy about being thoroughly abandoned by them all. After a first module of audience development, we learnt about some of the factors affecting visitors to our partner museums. We lost Ellie, Elsa and Annabelle mid-way through our second module, which was about interpretation and engagement. This was around the end of May and early June. They went on to new jobs and our little team was halved. Undeterred we carried on in June and July with our project and had the opportunity to meet some amazing individuals from our work in the community.
August was an odd month, between annual leave and research trips, we barely saw each other. We still managed to laugh hysterically on a train once or twice though. September was tinged with sadness as we approached saying farewell to Anne-Marie and early October wasn’t much better either after Emma took on her new role. For the first time all year I was working alone, the last intern standing, on a viability study for an exhibitions service as part of the CS offer (watch this space). I say alone, that isn’t strictly true. I have been accompanied throughout the year by our Project Manager Hollie, and our Project Administrators, first Hayley and then Jake, as well as the wider CS team.
Future plans
Now the internship element of the project draws to a close, I am moving back home to the North East. I will become the Community Events Officer at Beamish Museum, the living museum of the North. My role is to plan and deliver community involvement which, for anyone who knows me, is an actual dream come true. If you’re there and see me in action, please do say hello. I’m really looking forward to meeting up with other museum professionals too, something I have been really lucky with here in the East Midlands. Thank you to everyone who has made this a memorable year for me, I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds.
By Siân Fox, Resilience Syndicate Intern
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