Beverley Art Gallery curator Helena Cox recently took part in a Museology panel held at the University of York.
Together with Maria McIntok, curator at the Design Museum in London, the panel discussed the various career paths into the museum sector, and the many different types of institutions that students can work at in the future.
Maria McIntok said:
“I had such an enriching morning with the students and it was a real pleasure to return to my alma mater for the session, albeit virtually. We discussed the day-to-day experience of working in a museum, as well as the museological context of the sector. It was great to see the students so engaged in such critical discussions, from de-colonising institutions to inclusivity, and the impact of the pandemic on collections.
“I’m so delighted to have met Helena through the programme, too, and to hear more about the points of cohesion and divergence between our places of work.’
Student Fergus Bovill said:
“It was fascinating to hear about the behind-the-scenes running of a gallery, particularly the exhibition planning process.”
Helena Cox added: “It was a great pleasure and honour to be part of this panel and to meet the students who will soon become the future of the museum sector. Meeting Maria was so uplifting and a wonderful opportunity to show to the students the many facets of museums and art institutions, and the plethora of opportunities that lie in the sector.
“At Beverley Art Gallery, we are dedicated to working with students and enabling them to get a deeper understanding of regional curating and our collections, which offer great opportunities for further research.”
“We also pride ourselves on our national and international connections, despite our moderate size. We want to encourage the students to explore regional galleries, like ours at Beverley, as there is immense potential in exploring their collections and developing exciting collaborations with higher education and academia.”
Beverley Art Gallery continues to be a fantastic resource for university students. Earlier in 2021, the gallery held digital placements for the University of York’s students of the undergraduate Art History and Curating course.
The students worked closely with the curator and developed a series of digital projects which will soon appear on the East Riding Museums Online website.
Helena Cox added:
“For us at Beverley Art Gallery, working with students isn’t an add-on, it is a real focus because we believe that in this way everybody wins: the students get to see the behind the scenes and the reality of working at the gallery, but equally, our staff get inspired by the students.”
“Holding discussions with the students helps us to keep up with the latest trends in the sector and to always have a fresh approach to the museum’s work we do and love.”
