Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Manchester Museum and its relationship with local people

Egypt at the Manchester Museum (Campbell Price)

Campbell Price is the the new Curator of Egypt and the Sudan at the Manchester Museum, taking over from Karen Exell, who has taken up a teaching post with UCL in Qatar. (to read more about him see his introductory post on the Manchester Museum blog). The Manchester Museum blog has not been much used by the staff in the past and it is great to see Dr Price sharing his experiences of the Museum with the wider world.

One of the most interesting aspects of my new job is understanding the relationship between the Museum’s collections and local people, and why artefacts from Egypt and Sudan has been so popular in Manchester. A newly published book by Hilary Forrest, a member of Manchester Ancient Egypt Society, provides a useful summary of the history of Egyptological interest in the Greater Manchester area, and an introduction to the many Egypt enthusiasts the region has produced and been closely associated with.

As part of the redevelopment of our Ancient Worlds galleries, the Museum has been consulting local community groups. A week into the job, I accompanied our Curator for Community Exhibitions on a visit to a group of older people called ‘Forever Young’, who meet regularly at Fallowfield Library. This was a superb opportunity to get a local perspective on our plans and explore expectations for the galleries.

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