For some years there’s been an initiative on Twitter in November to share personal content related to museums each day using the hashtag #Museum30. Although I’ve followed with interest I’ve not joined in before. This November, with another lockdown causing museums to close, rising redundancies and ‘culture wars’ across the sector, it felt an important opportunity to take stock about my path through museums and why they matter to me.
Here’s the wonderful @sciencemuseum. It doesn’t stop being a thrill to walk through these spaces out of hours, and each visit since #lockdown has been a treat pic.twitter.com/n3UvGKpcw6
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 1, 2020
Day 3 is ‘Scribble’. Scribbling/graffiti became unexpectedly a part of my #longitude PhD and I even did my own drawn version of my argument years ago at a @CRASSHlive story telling workshop, which I’ve always kept #Museum30 pic.twitter.com/6LXQUPgKU1
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 3, 2020
Day 5 is ‘Display’. I’ve been lucky to work on so many display projects I’ve loved, so here’s me with a #longitude man and in the #MedicineGalleries. 1 of the earliest and 1 of the most recent #Museum30 pic.twitter.com/Nasg8QxC2c
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 5, 2020
Day 7 #Woodland is one of the things that has got me through 2020, from seeing the spring unfurl to autumn colours now appearing. I was inspired by @haywardgallery #SpringAmongtheTrees to snap and blog https://t.co/HXX0wDeb76 #Museum30 pic.twitter.com/Y2rowPRaFW
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 7, 2020
What better utensil is there than a #spoon?! I didn’t start out loving them but now I have a thriving collection thanks to friends and family. Find more spoony content here https://t.co/0inHkoR14K #Museum30 pic.twitter.com/TaiNgOYevh
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 9, 2020
Did you know James Nasmyth was the #First to observe & paint patterns on the surface of the sun? (what we now call granulation). His 1860 painting is in @sciencemuseum collections https://t.co/sHloLTsQWC #Museum30 pic.twitter.com/GqBgkyaga2
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 11, 2020
This is my #Origin, making puppets with my dad as a little girl. I was lucky to be taken to museums and galleries so I felt at home from the start, even if I loathed it for most of my childhood. Lucky to have very understanding artist parents too #Museum30 pic.twitter.com/Rk0SWYwL28
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 13, 2020
I spent quite a bit of time thinking about #virtual exhibitions during lockdown https://t.co/UkJUi1q8YW but by far the best I’ve seen is #TheBotanicalMind at @CamdenArtCentre https://t.co/Fl8SVndpTR #Museum30
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 15, 2020
I started tweeting some #lockdown reads and #bookshelf pictures back in April, I do love a deep shelf with space for things in front of the books #Museum30 https://t.co/ytygIFajBo
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 17, 2020
#Light is what allows us to enjoy the #MuseumofShadows. Here are some favourites from this year including from @sciencemuseum#ArtofInnovation #Museum30 https://t.co/ygjZ8tZsDA pic.twitter.com/13brHnqBO4
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 20, 2020
In 2016 I was lucky to work on the full #restoration and redisplay of the #QueensHouse at @RMGreenwich for its 400th anniversary, such a glorious building & extraordinary collections. Still proud of my cabinet of curiosities #Museum30 pic.twitter.com/VUd0Q9PBIS
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 21, 2020
I'm very grateful for so many museum #companions. Here's to a number of partners in crime over the years who I couldn't have done it without @rosalindmckever @atinybitwaring @m_vandenbrouck @TweetingBogart @sacha_coward @drjamesdavey @rj_boon #Museum30
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 23, 2020
#Statue! I was immensely lucky to work with 3 extraordinary artists on new sculpture commissions for the @sciencemuseum #MedicineGalleries. Here are @CrookEleanor's Santa Medicina, @StudioRoso's Bloom and @_MarcQuinn's Self-Conscious Gene #Museum30 pic.twitter.com/XlBKIh3CSE
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 25, 2020
Day 27 already! I think by far the best #Music I've experienced in a museum was @Impropera performing at @GrantMuseum a couple of years ago. Beautiful, hilarious and educational! https://t.co/gTyotom1YQ #Museum30
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 27, 2020
#Strength in numbers, we’ll be needing each other in the museum sector even more in the coming months. If you aren’t already a member #joinaunion @ProspectUnion @pcs_union @unitetheunion and more #Museum30
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 29, 2020
#WhyMuseums? I think the only way to sum this up in a tweet is ‘Joy’ - my most joyous moments have been in museums - extraordinary spaces, people, objects, stories. We need museums. I need museums. Thanks for following #Museum30
— Dr Katy Barrett (@SpoonsOnTrays) November 30, 2020