Heather Millard, our social history curator has written the latest recap of the curatorial team’s activities on ‘Ask a Curator Day’….
For the past few years, our curatorial team has participated in the annual & international #Askacuratorday on Twitter. Always good fun, it allows us to advocate to the world what we do, and share some of the exciting and entertaining stories that are associated with our sites and our collections.
As has become tradition, we started off by tweeting a picture of our supplies. (Don’t underestimate the power of baked goods and a cup of tea/coffee in fuelling curatorial work!)
Essential supplies for #askacuratorday #brewsandbiccies @YorkshireTea @AskACurator we're ready! pic.twitter.com/qEI1DyRrPf
— Bradford Museums & Galleries (@BradfordMuseums) September 13, 2017
As ever, it provoked fun responses – and the Rijkmuseum declaring an intention to visit!
Oh get out! I stocked up on Diet Coke and crisps. Judge me later. pic.twitter.com/LvDuBLQDiT
— Ask A Museum (@AskAMuseum) September 13, 2017
the savoury to our sweet. Salted caramel brownies have just arrived too…
— Bradford Museums & Galleries (@BradfordMuseums) September 13, 2017
They are *gorgeous*. About to try apple scones next… We'll save a seat for you next year 🙂
— Bradford Museums & Galleries (@BradfordMuseums) September 13, 2017
Onto the actual business of the day!
This question gave us a chance to brag about the Malachite Fireplace at Cliffe Castle.
This one's pretty amazing… https://t.co/BAR7a6MIMc when it came back in through the doors I gasped….
— Bradford Museums & Galleries (@BradfordMuseums) September 13, 2017
Turns out other people enjoyed the story as much as we did
That was so lucky that there was a painting of the fireplace in all it's glory to help the restoration. The fireplace is really gorgeous.
— Foxysbitsandbobs (@Foxysbitsandbob) September 13, 2017
We put out the annual plea for one of our ‘holygrail’ items (if it’s lingering in your loft, do let us know…)
We're still holding out for a manuscript in Shakespeare's handwriting… ^JP #askacurator
— Shakespeare B Trust (@ShakespeareBT) September 13, 2017
Keep asking 😉 one year someone will tell you where it is!
— Haley Sharpe Design (@haleysharpe) September 13, 2017
We hope they will – as we were telling Haley Sharpe design, it wouldn’t be the first time things turn up out of the blue…
What an amazing story, who knows you might find Rossini's deathbed after all and that chandelier that might be in London…
— Haley Sharpe Design (@haleysharpe) September 13, 2017
Thoughtful questions about how to engage with visitors emerged.
finding a way into the pictures by giving additional context using our 3d dimensional objects – costume alongside portraits for example
— Bradford Museums & Galleries (@BradfordMuseums) September 13, 2017
Questions to other curators at other institutions gained us mentions too – confirming our audience appreciates what we do
1/2 A marble reproduction of Canova's 'Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss' at Cartwright Hall @BradfordMuseums when I was very young…
— Rebecca Wade (@DrRebeccaWade) September 13, 2017
And we never let the opportunity for a bad joke go on #Askacurator day….
https://twitter.com/BCLMCurators/status/907949258728407040
Ah, but is it the biggest aspidistra in the world? (I think everyone comes across at least one item that they say 'really? why that?'…. https://t.co/zRNz2UgA0X
— Bradford Museums & Galleries (@BradfordMuseums) September 13, 2017
(they never did confirm the size….)
We signed off at the end of the day, leaving some of the other participants still going strong…. If you haven’t yet come across the epic twitterbattle between the Natural History Museum & the Science Museum in London, I’d recommend looking it up.
It had us in stitches – and proves, as we try to do every year that working in a museum is never boring…..
We’ll back on twitter again next year – but every day can be ‘ask a curator’ day, just get in touch with us!