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MANCEHESTER MEMOIRS!

Joyee Roy

In-charge, Documentation & Photography Unit, Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata, India ITP 2011 The group of 4 past ITPers (me, Rika, Waed and Saadu) representing different batches of the ITP along with 3 ITP colleagues (Claire, Becca and Jessica) attended the Museums Association Conference in Manchester, United Kingdom on 16th & 17th November 2017. Similar to our group, the ratio of female representation in the MA Conference is higher than male participants.

Female representations in MA conference, 2017 in Manchester (Images1&2 by author)

Audiences, Collections and Workforce: these three categories were included in the themes of 2017. These three categories are very much related to each other: to involve more audiences through proper interpretation of collections of museums by engaging and enhancing workforce in museums. UK and international speakers came together to discuss the latest thinking about this year’s themes. There were so many sessions running each day and therefore, to get the most out of the Museums Association Conference, I was selective and picked sessions that were useful for me and my museum’s activities.

Some of the presentations which truly made me rethink were:-

Out of the classroom, into the museum; Family programme to boost footfall; Interpreting museums- a bold new approach; The fearful object; Exhibition that appeal all ages; Dialogue beyond sights; Working with refugees and asylum seekers; Pioneering volunteer makers-a new era for engaging audiences; Using social media to maximise impact.

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‘Working with refugees and asylum seekers’ was a very innovative and interesting one. Through this session, Emily Miller, Head of Learning and Partnership, Migration Museum Project and Domenico Sergi, Community Engagement Coordinator of Horniman Museum, shared best practice approaches and encouraged participants to develop their own practices.

While the ‘Dialogue Beyond Sight’ workshop explored how museums could engage marginalised audiences with visual impairments and embed accessibility across all areas of an institution. The speakers of this workshop were: Lynn Cox and Andrew Mashigo, two experts of this aspect.

‘Using social media to maximise impact’ (Image 3 by author)

‘Family programme to boost footfall’ (Images 4 & 5 by author)

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Youth participation (Image 6 by author)

As a custodian of my institution’s collection, the papers on the topic ‘Fearful Object’ were very different for me. Three speakers, Lauren Willmot, Curator of Imperial Museum, Nathaniel Hepburn, Director of Charleston and Bryan Stich, Deputy Head of Collections in Manchester Museum, presented about the implications of interpreting and displaying objects that are associated with events or activities that have the potential to upset, provoke and challenge visitors.

Session on ‘Fearful object’ (Image 7by author)

Can it be able to give positive vibe and directions to audiences? Objects under discussion include a refugee’s life jacket from Lesvos, items associated with the conflict in Northern Ireland and the archive of Eric Gill, an artist punished for sexually abusing his daughter.

Thus the Museums Association Annual Conference and Exhibition 2017 in Manchester were full of dreams come true by meeting new colleagues and museum fraternities whom I had never met before like Campbell Price, Curator of Egypt and Sudan at Manchester Museum; Jackie Bland, Training and Governance Officer, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums; Clare Gannaway, Contemporary Art Curator in Manchester Art Gallery.

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Inside the mummy gallery with Campbell Price, Curator of Egypt and Sudan of Manchester University Museum (Image 8 by author)

With Clare Gannaway, Contemporary Art Curator in Manchester Art Gallery (Image 9 by author)

Bryan Stich was discussing a display of a refugee’s life jacket from Lesvos (Image 10 by author)

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While I also renewed my old connections with colleagues like Bryan Stich, Deputy Head of Collections in Manchester Museum, who conducted sessions during my ITP placement in Manchester in 2011 and whom I met again during his presentations on Fearful Object in the MA Conference.

Adam Jaffer, now Collections Officer at the Manchester People’s History Museum, whom I met in 2011 ITP at

Birmingham Art Gallery (Image 11 by author)

Ronan Brindley, Head of Learning at Manchester Art Gallery (Image 12 by author)

Thus I was able to use the opportunity to expand my network and also meet with old friends, including ITP colleagues! I am truly thankful to ITP for organising various useful discussions and visits of different galleries and temporary exhibitions on display in different museums of Manchester. Some enriching experiences were viewing the South Asian Design gallery, solo presentations of artists Neha Choksi, Waqas Khan, Mehreen Murtaza, Hetain Patel, Risham Syed (whose visa refusal letter is on display – the reason that their performance has been postponed) and many more. We received a warm welcome from every museum, and were able to get to know the varied and unique activities taking place in the different museums in Manchester.

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Food Magical Manchester Happy bee

(Images 13, 14 & 15 by author)

Rare combination of old and new architecture in Manchester (Image16 by author)

Manchester skyline (Image 17 by author)

For me, revisiting magical Manchester was an immense enjoyment. I learnt more about the diversity of the culture, food and people of Manchester, the city with lots of warmness, colour, vibrancy, diversity and an example of a rare combination of old and new architecture. It mesmerised me and I was recalling my 2011 visit as an ITPer all the way through.