Event at Derby Museum & Art Gallery, 11am – 3.30pm, Thursday 18th July 2019.

World Cultures Gallery visit and 'Restitution: a view from the Regions' workshop.

Come and join us in Derby to take part in a discussion and hear case studies reflecting on restitution and repatriation in regional museums, co-chaired by Tony Butler, Executive Director, Derby Museums and Helen Mears, Keeper of World Art at Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove and then after lunch explore and critique the new World Cultures Gallery with Laura Philips, Head of Interpretation and Display.

This event will be in two parts with a short break for lunch in-between.

Tea and coffee will be provided, but attendees are invited to bring lunch with them or buy lunch from the museum café or café nearby.

To book a place please email Events Officer, Rachel Heminway Hurst events@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk

Restitution: A view from the regions

National and university museums have tended to dominate public and sectoral debate regarding museums and their role in the restitution and repatriation of cultural property and yet, as all MEG members know, regional museums hold important and significant 'world cultures' collections (and may, in many cases, have more freedoms in regards to facilitating the return of material from these).

As Arts Council England looks to develop new guidance for the UK museum sector on restitution and repatriation, this meeting provides an initial opportunity for MEG members to firstly explore what the terms restitution and repatriation mean, reflect on their experiences in responding to claims, to consider the particular needs of regional museums in progressing work regarding restitution and repatriation, and to consider what role MEG might take in supporting the sector. 

Image© Derby Museum & Art Gallery.  Display of figures in the World Cultures Gallery. 

Job opportunity: Medicine Galleries Research Fellowship – Culturally Sensitive Objects

Do you have experience of working with culturally sensitive objects, ethnographic collections or museum policies? Do you have experience of delivering significant research projects?

The Science Museum Group has an astonishingly diverse and internationally significant collection of 7.3 million items from science, technology, engineering, medicine, transport and media. The Group also cares for Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection, which contains thousands of objects related to health and medicine on long term loan from the Wellcome Trust. This material covers a broad range of cultures and includes a small number of objects which may be considered sacred, secret or otherwise culturally sensitive.

The Science Museum Group and Wellcome Collection are examining how we store, interpret, document and display these objects. Thanks to funding from the Wellcome Trust - provided to encourage greater academic engagement with the medical collections during the Science Museum's medicine galleries redevelopment project - we are delighted to offer a year-long fellowship to identify and review best practice concerning the care of culturally sensitive objects and collections originating from indigenous cultures, including items from Australasia and North America. 

In this role you will identify objects which may be defined as sacred, secret or otherwise culturally sensitive and identify, review and report on relevant policy statements (both nationally and internationally) regarding the care, storage, documentation and display of such objects, as well as best practice regarding access. You will also be tasked with planning, delivering and documenting workshops at key project milestones to discuss issues relevant to the research project with internal and external stakeholders. 

More details can be found on The Science Museum website.

The deadline is 02/12/2018.

Headley Fellowships with Art Fund

A programme designed to provide experienced curators with the time and resources to carry out research projects deepening specialist knowledge and expertise around their collections.  It  aims to give curators the time and resource to work with focused areas of their collections, deepening collections expertise within regional museums and sharing specialist knowledge across the sector. Deadline for applications is 15 October 2018.

More details on the ArtFund website. 

New displays of African collections: Aso-oke, a Celebration of Style & Townships Journeys

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery are delighted to present two new displays highlighting rich and evolving fashion and identity practices in Africa. These displays have been co-curated with researchers from the African diaspora who live in Sussex. They are part of the Object Journeys Fashioning Africa project in partnership with the British Museum.

On display are post 1960’s textiles and garments collected as part of the Fashioning Africa project, historic African textiles and beadwork from Brighton Museum’s collections and objects on loan from the British Museum. Four films accompany the displays. These feature in-depth interviews with the curators, footage of the production of aso-oke fabric and of some of the displayed outfits in use.

The displays have been co-curated by Edith Ojo, Tshepo Skwambane and world art collection staff, and supported by the British Museum. Through the process of co-curation, Edith and Tshepo have shared their cultural knowledge, expertise and experiences of growing up in Africa, to provide new interpretations for the displays and to breathe new life into historic African objects.

Edith Ojo with the Aso-Oke display (c) RPMAG

Aso-oke, a Celebration of Style, curated by Edith, showcases aso-oke fabric and fashion and reflects Edith’s rich Yoruba, Nigerian heritage and the role aso-oke plays in this. She states “It says party, that’s what aso-oke says to me. I love the spectacle and performance that surrounds aso-oke. It’s so culturally vibrant and constantly evolving.”

 

Tshepo Skwambane with Township Journeys (c) RPMAG

Township Journeys, curated by Tshepo Skwambane, demonstrates the important role that fashion and identity played for black South Africans living in townships. The display reflects Tshepo’s childhood experiences growing up in a township during apartheid, and the rich cultural mix of people he encountered there. He states “I want to challenge and dismantle stereotypes about Africa and Africans. Apartheid enforced separate and defined communities, but you can’t stop interaction between people and ideas.” 

 

Fashioning Africa is a Heritage Lottery Fund Collecting Cultures project. With the support of a collecting panel, Brighton Museum has been able to acquire new objects that reflect post-1960 African fashion identities.

This display is part of Object Journeys, a national programme run by the British Museum and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It supports community partners to research and explore museum collections and create new displays in response to this investigation.

Job Vacancy: Curator of World Cultures, National Trust

As our national specialist in the curation of world cultures and collections you will lead on the Trust’s response to specific world collections projects. You will also lead on the development of organisational policies and processes relating to the management and interpretation of world collections. Keeping abreast of the latest developments, guiding research and developing best practice, policies and processes relating to world collections, you will use your expertise to provide advice to clients at properties in the Consultancy and Whole Trust. You will lead the Trust’s responses to repatriation requests and contested collections, engaging a wide range of stakeholders through a collaborative process that will ultimately lead to informed, sensitive and appropriate decision-making. You will assist staff across the Trust in identifying innovative ways in which our diverse global collections can inspire visitors and become accessible to all. You will also seek opportunities to demonstrate the Trust’s work in this field, and support its broader strategy to ‘move, teach and inspire’.

PLEASE NOTE: The role will be based from our London or Surrey Hub and will require regular travel to our Head Office in Swindon.

£47,500 pa

Closing Date: 13th May 2018

Interview Date: 7th June 2018 (London)

Apply here. 

Job Vacancy: Curator of World Culture, Leeds Museums and Galleries

Salary details: SO2 - £28,485 to £30,153

Ref: 17383    

Application deadline: 31 March 2018 11:30 PM

Leeds Museums and Galleries seek to appoint a curator with a specialism in World Cultures.

Leeds Museums and Galleries has over 12,000 items in its World Cultures collection, making it the largest centre for this collection focus in Yorkshire. The collection is wide-ranging with Asia best represented (particularly China and India), then Africa, followed by the Americas, Oceania and lastly Europe outside the UK. It is our aim to represent global world cultures of the present day through our collections, to recognise the importance and significance of the diaspora and migrant communities in the life of our city and to continue to explore historical anthropology through material artefacts. 

A key part of the role is working with communities in Leeds in the display and development of the collection, so we’re looking for someone who can bring subject specialist knowledge, but also the ability to build relationships, reaching out across the city to work collaboratively. Based at Leeds Discovery Centre, but working across Leeds Museums and Galleries sites, the postholder will work with colleagues across the service to maximise the impact of our collections and the experience of our audiences. 

Given the wide-ranging nature of this collection, you may have a background in Anthropology, Cultural studies, International studies, World Art or other similar subject areas.

Apply online