Museum objects are living gods and goddesses. Lords and Ladies of the material world. Most usually donning white cotton (or purple nitrile) gloves the curator is able to undertake her calling as high priest and footman. It’s vital museum purity laws are adhered to. Contamination of the museum object by greasy palm or sticky fingers… Continue reading Curator’s Advent. Day 6. Gloves
Category: Old Curatorial Archive
Archive of Tehmina Goskar’s curatorial posts, including on museum studies, ethics, and some of my PhD research (2005-9).
Curator’s Advent. Day 5. The accession number
The accession number imposes order on chaos. It turns a gaggle of tat into a collection and is a museum object’s status symbol.
Curator’s Advent. Day 4. Entry form
The birth certificate of the museum object, its proof of purchase. The entry form marks the start of an artefact’s rite of passage from prop, trinket or reject to sacred relic on a mission.
Curator’s Advent. Day 3. Moths
Moths and other creepy pests are The Enemy of the curator (unless they are already dead and desirable specimens, pinned and catalogued). If you see a furrowed brow and haunted look, a struggle with sticky pheromone-fueled patches, spare a thought. We are saving museums from the very real peril of textiles and taxidermy annihilation. No… Continue reading Curator’s Advent. Day 3. Moths
Curator’s Advent. Day 2. The label
The art of a well-tempered label is a museum’s greatest gift to humanity. As selector and interpreter, the label is an opportunity for the curator to display her prowess. Curators believe in facts not opinions. The label contains up to 50 learned words. One idea per sentence (we prefer facts). Reading age: 12. Sans serif all the way.
Curator’s Advent. Day 1. Please do not touch
Curator’s Advent is a little idea I’ve been toying around with to explore some of my beliefs and values as a curator and playfully challenge some myths about what ‘curator-types’ are like. Every day in the run up to Christmas I’ll be playing around with curatorship in a series of mini posts and pics. You may… Continue reading Curator’s Advent. Day 1. Please do not touch
Mediterranean material culture from prehistory to now
Back in March my chapter on material culture for the Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Mediterranean History came out. It was a challenging exercise to condense into 8000 words the essence of the study of material culture in a Mediterranean geo-historical context and also to represent all periods of human history at the same time. I have… Continue reading Mediterranean material culture from prehistory to now
A Companion to Mediterranean History out now
A Companion to Mediterranean History, part of Wiley Blackwell’s acclaimed Companions to History series has just been published. The book project, led by editors Peregrine Horden and Sharon Kinoshita, is a culmination of at least three years’ work and a coming together of 29 contributors from across the world. Each contributor is a specialist in… Continue reading A Companion to Mediterranean History out now
A history of Cornwall through objects
In September I was commissioned to help develop and create content for a digital history of Cornwall through its objects alla History of the World in 100 Objects format and fame. A booklet of 100 objects chosen from collections across Cornwall’s museums had already been created by Museum Development Officers showcasing everything from a cork model of… Continue reading A history of Cornwall through objects
Made in metal: Writing the industrial background of Graham Sutherland’s war art
Earlier in the year I spent some weeks in the summer researching and writing a survey of the links between Cornwall and South Wales, particularly those evidenced in the metal industries of copper, iron and steel, and tin. It resulted in a wonderfully illustrated book called Graham Sutherland: From Darkness Into Light. War Paintings and… Continue reading Made in metal: Writing the industrial background of Graham Sutherland’s war art