In September Oxford University Museums hosted an afternoon of Lightning Talks from colleagues across our museums looking at everything from research and museum collections, how both exhibitions and permanent galleries are development, education programmes, commercial activity, and more. The day was aimed at colleagues working within the museums sector, and colleagues within the university who would like to find out more about what the museums do and their role within the university.
Broken into four sessions with four 8 minute talks, we explore Collections Interpretation, Education and Learning, Connecting Collections and Behind the Scenes.
Session 1 - Collections Interpretation
This strand explored how we develop special exhibitions and permanent gallery displays, curate collections online and engage the public with our collections using digital.
'Geek is Good': planning an exhibition programnme - Dr Stephen Johnson, Assistant Keeper, Museum of the History of Science
Redeveloping the Ashmolean Greece Galleries - Dr Susan Walker, Keeper of Antiquities, Ashmolean Museum
Crowdsourcing and Community Groups - Dr Alison Roberts, Curator, European and Early Prehistoric Collections, Ashmolean Museum
Once in a Whale - Bethany Palumbo, Conservator, Museum of Natural History
Session 2 - Education and Learning
These talks examined how our museums support STEM knowledge transfer and engagement with school groups and the general public, use innovative technology to enhance the learning process, develop partnerships that facilitate engagement, and communicate academic research by turning it into educational activities for the public and schools.
Museums as a Showcase for Science - Sarah Lloyd, Education Officer (Secondary), Museum of Natural History
Museums and STEM Engagement: Objects of Invention - Chris Parkin, Lead Education Officer, Museum of the History of Science
Museum Sketchbooks: using tablets to support a museum art trip - Adrian Brooks, Art Education Officer, Oxford University Museums; Helen Ward, Deputy Head of Education, Ashmolean Museum
Working in Partnership: Community Engagement and the Museum of Oxford - Helen Fountain, Reminiscence Officer, Museum of Oxford; Antonia Harland-Lang, Community Engagement Partnership Officer, Museum of Oxford
Converting Academic Research into Education Activities - Andrew McLellan, Head of Education, Pitt Rivers Museum
Session 3 - Connecting Collections
In this session, speakers looked at how we use collections to engage with source communities, manage a 'living collection', and how our collections can support commercial enterprise.
From Museums to the Historic Environment - Dr Dan Hicks, Associate Professor and Curator, Pitt Rivers Museum
Working with Source Communities - Dr Christopher Morton, Curator of Photography and Manuscript Collections, Pitt Rivers Museum
Managing a Playing Collection - Andrew Lamb, Manager, Bate Collection
Collections and Commercial Enterprise - Dec McCarthy, Commercial Manager, Ashmolean Museum
Session 4 - Behind the Scenes
The final strand of the day went behind the scenes to look at museum funding, the role IT and digital play, how are displays built and collections moved, and the role volunteers in a university museum.
Funding Museums - Heidi Kurtz, Senior Campaign Executive, Oxford University Museums and Collections; Harriet Warburton, Research Facilitator, Oxford University Museums
Invisible Digital - Anjanesh Babu, ICT Officer (Networks), Ashmolean Museum
Count Me In: Colunteers in Museums - Joy Todd, Volunteers and Outreach Manager, Oxford University Museums
Oxford Cultural Leaders - Lucy Shaw, Programme Director, Oxford Cultural Leaders