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Yorkshire Museum Scholarship

The 2015-16 Yorkshire Museum Scholarship will provide the successful applicant with a partial fee waiver of £5,000, and an opportunity to undertake a volunteer placement at the museum.

Yorkshire Museum

About the Yorkshire Museum

The Yorkshire Museum is part of York Museums Trust, a registered charity which also manages York Art Gallery and York Castle Museum. The museum's collections, which include the thousands of items on display in the museum and many more items that are behind the scenes in storage, have all been awarded 'designated' status for their national and international importance.

The museum's archaeology collection of nearly one million objects ranges from the earliest prehistoric finds up until the twentieth century and is the one of the most comprehensive in a regional British museum outside London. The majority of the Roman, Anglian and Anglo Scandinavian (Saxon and Viking), and Medieval objects come from York and Yorkshire. Some of the museum's most significant objects include the medieval Middleham Jewel and Ring, the York Helmet, and the Gilling Sword, all found in the region, plus the Ormside Bowl, found in Cumbria.

Roman objects include the statue of Mars and the head of Constantine and the tombstone of Lucius Duccius Rufinus, Standard Bearer of the Ninth Legion, as well as a head of human hair, preserved in a Roman gypsum burial, all found in York. An overview of the museum's collections, including some star items, can be viewed on the Yorkshire Museum's website.

Some of the finest medieval architectural and monastic material in England comes from St Mary's Abbey, in whose ruins the museum now stands, particularly a series of 12th century life-size statues of saints and prophets.

[Adapted from the Yorkshire Museum website]

The student view

The student view

Maddy Pelling, the 2014-15 recipient of the Yorkshire Museum Scholarship, has found her placement has provided her with valuable experience and enhanced her studies.

What are you currently working on?

"On my first day at the museum, as I was introduced to the collections, I was able to hold flint arrow-heads and Viking ice skates, Anglo-Saxon whetstones and medieval beads. The Yorkshire Museum houses objects from pre-history through to the medieval period and I have been lucky enough to work with an amazing array of objects. In particular, I have been exploring the Yorkshire Museum’s collection of Anglian and Anglo-Scandinavian stone sculpture. As well as working with existing scholarship, I have been able to examine stones that have, previously, had very little academic attention. This has been very exciting and a real privilege. As well as writing a series of blog articles exploring individual stone carvings and sculptures, I have been able to use my research in an essay for my Masters course. I plan to conclude my project with a curator’s talk, open to the public, in which I will discuss the significance of these sculptures in both regional and national history."

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

"On starting at the Yorkshire Museum, I was trained in using their museums database, Adlib. This means that I now have a working knowledge of the software and confidence in using it that will be highly useful in any future projects working with museum collections. I have also been lucky enough to handle some incredible objects and to get up close to archaeological finds from York and North Yorkshire, an experience that has really brought my understanding and appreciation of the city’s history to life."

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

"I work with the Curator and Assistant Curator of Archaeology and it is under their supervision that I am working on the museum’s Anglian collection."

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

"As well as receiving formal training in collections software such as Adlib, my experience at the Yorkshire Museum has allowed me to handle and interact with amazing objects and exhibits and to see them in all stages of museum life, from storage, to interpretation and exhibition. I have been able to experience the processes of a working museum and to observe how collections are preserved and used in historical narratives."

How has your work at the Yorkshire Museum enhanced your studies at York?

"My work at the Yorkshire Museum has proved invaluable in enhancing my studies at York. I have been able to develop my own research skills, as well as confidence in working with archival and museum collections. As well as this, I was able to use part of my research for the museum in an assessed essay for my course. This meant that my research was wholly original and that I was able to write about objects that few have access to, as well as having an opportunity to showcase the work I have been doing here. Similarly, I will be using objects in the museum’s collection as part of my dissertation research."

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

"Definitely! As well as receiving formal training in terms of working with and recording collections, I have been able to work within a museum environment and have developed skills that will be highly transferable to other museum or heritage institutions. This studentship allows me the opportunity to conduct and complete an original research project to a professional standard and will be invaluable in terms of further postgraduate work and beyond."

Would you recommend it to future students?

"Absolutely. As well as offering incredible experiences, this studentship provides me with a welcome break from my course studies. I have met some inspiring professionals and the studentship has cemented my determination to pursue a career in museum work."

Read about the experiences of previous recipients of the Yorkshire Museum Scholarship:

Applying

Applying

Please note: applicants may apply for no more than three of the partnership studentships on offer.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to apply for this scholarship, applicants must already be holding an offer of a place on the MA in History of Art, or a related pathway degree. Studentship applications are welcomed from all offer holders, regardless of their fee status. However, please note that the value of the partial fee-waiver (£5,000 for 2015-16) remains the same, regardless of the fee status of the successful applicant (Home, EU or Overseas). 

If you are yet to submit an application for the masters degree, please do so by no later than Wednesday 17th June 2015, and e-mail us via histart-pg-admission​s@york.ac.uk to let us know that you are hoping to submit a partnership studentship application, so we can ensure your programme application is processed in time.

How to apply 

The deadline for applications for this scholarship is midnight (BST) on Wednesday 24th June 2015. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interview in York on Wednesday 22nd July 2015.

Further to your formal course application, you should submit a personal statement of not more than 500 words, justifying your studentship application, and in particular addressing the following:

  • your awareness of, interest in and commitment to the period / theme / collection(s) of the partner institution
  • any relevant skills, knowledge and/or experience
  • how you see the award fitting in with and facilitating your career plans

You are advised to consult the information on this webpage, and the museum’s own website, before you apply. Please send your personal statement to history-of-art@york.ac.uk by the above deadline.

Photos

Photos

Click on any of the images below to view our Flickr set for the Yorkshire Museum Scholarship:

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As well as receiving formal training, I have been able to work within a museum environment and have developed skills that will be highly transferable to other museum or heritage institutions.

Maddy Pelling, recipient of the 2014-15 Yorkshire Museum Scholarship

This studentship allows me the opportunity to conduct and complete an original research project to a professional standard and will be invaluable in terms of further postgraduate work and beyond.

Maddy Pelling, recipient of the 2014-15 Yorkshire Museum Scholarship

On my first day at the museum, as I was introduced to the collections, I was able to hold flint arrow-heads and Viking ice skates, Anglo-Saxon whetstones and medieval beads.

Maddy Pelling, recipient of the 2014-15 Yorkshire Museum Scholarship