I have lots of childhood memories of visiting castles, cathedrals, museums, and art galleries with my parents. Glasgow’s museums often feature in those memories - I can remember running along the old dinosaur gallery in Kelvingrove, and staring up at the T-rex model, and taking part in a Victorian school classroom experience at Scotland Street School with my Primary 2 class - and somewhere down the line, I must have thought, ‘I want to work in one of these places, someday’.
I was fortunate to study History of Art at the University of Glasgow, and then a postgraduate in Museum Studies. I volunteered for the National Trust for Scotland at Pollok House, whilst I was a student, leading family events and school tours.
My first museum job was as a Gallery Assistant, based at St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art and Provand’s Lordship. I vividly remember my first day, walking up High Street, nervous but excited to be finally, and hopefully, starting my museum career. It’s a tough industry to get into, so the Gallery Assistant role was an amazing opportunity.
I joined the Burrell Renaissance Project in 2016, as an Assistant Project Curator, and in 2018, I became a Project Curator. I had studied Sir William Burrell and his collection at university, and had written part of my dissertation on him, so it always feels like a strange ‘full-circle’ moment to be working for The Burrell’s refurbishment and redisplay project.
As a Project Curator, my role has involved researching the collection and helping to create and develop the new galleries and displays of objects prior to the museum re-opening last month. My current curatorial remit looks after the European Decorative Art from 1603-1850, including silver, ceramics, glass, and furniture. If you ever want to chat about seventeenth-century caned chairs or Dutch engraved glass goblets, I’m your woman.
I’ve also spent a lot of time researching LGBT histories within The Burrell Collection. Histories of same-sex love and gender diversity have historically not been explored in museums. As Project Curator, I worked in collaboration with the LGBT community in Glasgow to bring these histories alive in The Burrell. Working with community groups has been one of my favourite parts of working for The Burrell; it’s been a joy to get to know these amazing individuals, listen to their lived experiences, and see them find pride in the museum. Glasgow Museums, after all, is for everyone.
I often have pinch-me moments working for The Burrell. It doesn’t seem quite real sometimes when you’re unboxing a medieval alabaster or shining a torch in the nooks and crannies of a bedhead used by Henry VIII. It’s a real privilege to come face-to-face and handle these objects with no glass barrier between you.
Over recent weeks, the objects have been installed into the new Burrell galleries. Seeing the objects unboxed, and on display, it’s like seeing old friends and great to see our visitors, old and new, getting acquainted with the collection again.
The Burrell Collection, managed by the charity Glasgow Life, has reopened following an ambitious building upgrade and redisplay, for more information, visit: http://www.burrellcollection.com
