Original Interview

What are you currently working on?

"I have just finished a project report on some damaged portrait paintings in the collection. The highlight has been getting to the stage where the paintings I’ve grown quite fond of, may well be restored to their former glory!"

What experiences would you say have been most useful or unexpected?

"It has been really useful to be part of a work environment and to understand how my art historical knowledge can be applied in a more practical way. It is exciting to be in a place where this knowledge is valued. Though everyone has their set job role there’s certainly a lot of overlap between the archives and image collections and I enjoyed learning that things aren’t always so clear cut between the two areas."

Who do you work with and how does the institution make use of you?

"I work mainly with Lorna Frost, the assistant curator of the image collection. We chose my main projects together, so I felt very much as if I could steer my work where I felt my interests lay. I feel like the work I’ve done will have a lasting impact and has been beneficial for the NRM as well as for me."

What do you value most about your experience with the institution?

"The opportunity to escape academia one day a week and feel like I’m using my skills practically, and developing my understanding of the world of work – specifically the world of museums and collections. I also love spending my time in the art store so close to the paintings – they’ve begun to feel like old friends and I certainly have my favourites!"

How has your work with NRM enhanced your studies at York?

"The collection at the NRM has a lot of nineteenth-century artwork which helped to broaden my understanding of the period beyond the little pockets of it that I studied in my Pre-Raphaelites and Art & Imperialism modules. The artist I was researching for a project at the NRM actually ended up forming part of my study for my ‘Art and Imperialism in India’ essay. Forming the links between various artists, people and social change has largely happened because the NRM’s collection has provided me with another perspective."

Do you feel it has been helpful with career planning or improved your job prospects, and if yes, how?

"Most definitely. It has helped because it’s given me real experience of working in the museum sector and with collections, so that when applying for jobs I can show that I’ve not only been studying but I’ve had duties and responsibilities outside my degree course. I am passionate about studying History of Art, but for me the next step is a career away from academia and this partnership has really helped me to remain focused on my future."

Would you recommend it to future students?

"Absolutely, if you are keen to put your knowledge into practical application, and you like spending time working with artworks, this is the partnership for you."

What happened next?

June 2014:

The studentship gave me a great insight into the inner-workings of a national museum. It was useful for me to learn about the challenges faced by this institution (and many like it) and how it continues to develop and flourish every year despite funding cuts, etc. I learned what a successful museum and art gallery looks like and how it functions from the inside out. My understanding and experience of this was gained through practical projects such as; carrying out a disposal report on some of the paintings in the collection, helping to hang new exhibitions in the fairly new Art Gallery at the NRM, meeting with the conservator and discussing possible conservation projects as well as assisting with condition checking works of art returned after being loaned for exhibitions. I also got to sit in on meetings with all different departments of the Knowledge and Collections team which showed me how an image collections team works in a wider context.

Now, working at the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, I still use some of the skills I learned on my studentship. The NRM studentship gave me a solid base of experience to help me begin life in the working world - the art world to be more specific. I also gained a new-found passion for twentieth-century British artists, whilst working on the NRM art collection, which is perhaps one of the reasons my job at the PMC - surrounded by research and resources on British Artists - is such a joy. I am very proud to have worked at the National Railway Museum and will be glad if they benefitted from the partnership at least half as much as I did.