It is always exciting to explore a collection which you have not seen before, and the library at Wisbech and Fenland Museum is a particularly rich source of fascination. Dr Suzanne Reynolds, Curator, and Edward Cheese, Conservator, at the Fitzwilliam Museum, were invited by Robert Bell, Acting Curator at Wisbech and Fenland Museum to carry out an initial assessment of…
With their doors closed, staff at home and social distancing the new norm, how can and how are Museums continuing to play an active and relevant role in people’s lives? Justyna Ladosz shares her experience of developing and delivering a remote session designed to engage the University of Cambridge Museums‘ (UCM) Portals to the World participants; people with a dementia…
During lockdown the Whipple Museum of the History of Science has been working with the inclusion unit at Sawston Village College to create fun, interactive science lessons based on collections objects which can be delivered remotely. The sessions have encouraged pupils to take an enquiry-based approach to science and to use historic objects to find out about science both in…
Sara Steele, Museum of Zoology Learning Assistant, shares her experience of developing and delivering a remote 4-week course designed to engage the University of Cambridge Museum’s Portals to the World participants; people with a dementia diagnosis or cognitive impairment and their care partners. In its tenth year, Portals is a partnership programme delivered with Dementia Compass and combines regular courses…
With their doors closed, staff at home and social distancing the new norm, how can and how are Museums continuing to play an active and relevant role in people’s lives? Justyna Ladosz shares her experience of developing and delivering a remote session designed to engage the University of Cambridge Museums‘ (UCM) Portals to the World participants; people with a dementia…
Sara Steele, Museum of Zoology Learning Assistant, shares her experience of developing and delivering a remote 4-week course designed to engage the University of Cambridge Museum’s Portals to the World participants; people with a dementia diagnosis or cognitive impairment and their care partners. In its tenth year, Portals is a partnership programme delivered with Dementia Compass and combines regular courses…
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all areas of the Fitzwilliam Museum, including its ability to engage with contemporary artists and acquire new works by them for the core collection. However, the Museum has been able to acquire a pair of stoneware vessels, entitled Candy Lady, made last year by the artist Shawanda Corbett (b. 1989), a purchase generously funded by…
Inspired by the fantastic ‘Wonderchicken’ exhibition, I set about pulling together facts, stories, and records to create a new virtual exhibition in Shorthand in 2020. This would look at women’s learning experiences and contribution to Geological science from 1885 until the First World War. This blog looks at the processes involved in creating a new virtual exhibition, and what the…
What can data tell us about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the University of Cambridge Museums’ audiences? This question and more were explored by the University of Cambridge Museums Team at March’s Datafest. You can catch up on the series of bitesize talks and other resources here. QR Codes in Museums- the basics and latest findings, with Sarah…
It is always exciting to explore a collection which you have not seen before, and the library at Wisbech and Fenland Museum is a particularly rich source of fascination. Dr Suzanne Reynolds, Curator, and Edward Cheese, Conservator, at the Fitzwilliam Museum, were invited by Robert Bell, Acting Curator at Wisbech and Fenland Museum to carry out an initial assessment of…
On 19 March, the University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden closed to the public following Government advice. This week, we will be fully or partially open again across all sites for the first time in over six months. This post describes some of the activity we have delivered in that time, how we continued to serve our audiences, and…
Fourteen objects held at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and originating from the First Nations people of the Northwest Coast of North America were analysed as part of a PhD research project by Lenore Thompson. Using a handheld XRF machine (also known as an XRF gun) she determined the elemental composition of pieces of copper used in several types…
