Alumni Journeys
Lindsay Percival
Lindsay graduated in 2007 with an MSc in Museum Studies.
‘After graduating I found employment straight away, working for Hull Museums and Art Gallery as a documentation assistant. I worked with a range collections including social history, transport, photographs and natural history. After a year in Hull I moved to London to work as curator/documentation assistant of fossil cephalopods at the Natural History Museum. It was an invaluable experience where I was in charge of object entry and exit, acquisitions, loans and movement control, as well as answering enquiries and providing access to the collections. I also supervised and worked alongside several of the museum’s volunteers. Having worked at the Natural History Museum for almost two years I decided to go travelling in Canada and when I returned to the UK volunteered at my local museum, Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery, assisting to digitally catalogue the geology collection in preparation for the museum’s disposal project. This helped me to continue to develop and update my professional skills.
My next post was at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, assisting in the development and preparation of an online collection database for the Corsi collection of 1000 decorative stones. My main role involved data input, XML editing, sourcing references, scanning documents and photographing specimens. I also aided curatorial work through producing drawer labels, documenting archival records, and assisting in recoding radioactive material. I then moved to a JISC funded project, ‘3D/GB Fossil Types Online’, taking publication quality digital images of type fossils using a DSLR set-up. I am now currently working on the same project at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge.
At Leicester I enjoyed the opportunity of meeting some wonderful and interesting people from around the world, as the co
urse has many international students. It was fascinating to discuss the international differences in museum practices, as well as find out about their countries. In fact many of them became my closest friends. I would also say that the network of people I created during my time at Leicester has been useful in my professional life; knowing who to contact for advice, aware of funding developments in museums around the UK and potential job opportunities.
lindsay percival using a computer This course gave me a good knowledge of the function of museums and their role in society and I gained specific knowledge in areas of curation and documentation as well as practical experience in object marking, packing and storage; all of which have helped me to get where I am today and hopefully where I want to be in the future. Furthermore, my work placement gave me valuable practical experience which was beneficial in gaining my first post and others which have increased my experiences to enable me to pursue a curatorial role.'
Lotte Inch
Lotte graduated with an MA in Art Museum and Gallery Studies in 2010 and has had an independent, exciting and varied career since.
‘I was lucky enough to secure a job with The National Trust as a direct result of my work placement there whilst a student on the Art Museum and Galley Studies course. I worked at the Trust’s Mottisfont Abbey site in Hampshire as an Exhibition Programmer, creating a brand new contemporary art gallery and programming and curating this space for 9 months on a rolling contract until funding for my
The House of Fairy Tales at Hall Place, Bexley and planning the early stages of a project with the House of Fairy Tales at the Edinburgh Art Festival 2012. I am also currently programming exhibitions for Scampston Hall and Gardens near York.
Alongside this work I have set up two pop-up art galleries in York. The most recent, The Lotte Inch Gallery, has been a 3 month project ending in December 2012, in the centre of the city exhibiting high end, celebrated names from the British art scene: Damien Hirst, Bob & Roberta Smith, Gavin Turk, Tessa Farmer, Rob Ryan to name a few. I am looking into securing funding to make this gallery space a permanent fixture with York.
Over the next few years I hope to establish myself as a freelance curator and exhibitions consultant whilst keeping the gallery open. I will need to be able to employ people to work alongside me whilst I am doing any consultancy / curatorial work and hope to be able to work with them to develop the reputation of the gallery and the calibre of exhibitions that we put on there. My time at Leicester has provided a useful network of contacts and other professionals with whom I can work and make new subsequent contacts through. My practical skills and funding application practice will also continue to be invaluable going forward with my career.
The staff support within the department was equal to none. And alongside a diverse class group I absorbed a huge amount of information without actually realising it at the time. The opportunity to design and install an exhibition within the department was a definite highlight of the course! I have kept in contact with a circle of people from the course who are based all over the world and we continue to support and advise each other when we can.’