Trying to Locate my Research

Thursday 25 July, 2019

I am fascinated by the history and politics of the museology and the relationship between collections and exhibitions. Although my research focuses more specifically on the act of curation and the development of exhibitions, I have decided as a researcher I need to locate myself in a sector of the 'arts', which relates to both my teaching and research. Last year I attended the 'Inclusive Museums' conference in Granada, Spain, which was attended by a global community of professionals who work in the Museums and Galleries sector. I enjoyed being part a sector dealing with exhibitions and curation, collections, education, design and marketing. It was interesting to understand the relationships between all these areas and how each area influences each other and also to be exposed to the wide range of museums and their collection focuses. I am am generally more connected to the discussions around the curation of contemporary art, which is very focused on intellectualising and interpreting innovative contemporary art activity. But it was a great change to think outside of this space and to consider the broader issues affecting the whole museum sector, rather than the niche of contemporary art. In particular I am interested in the role of education in the museum sector and how museums are increasingly using their spaces to engage audiences into alternative types of education, education through the experience of art, artefacts and narrative.