Personnel views of working for the VA

Abraham, curator

I joined the VA in September 2005 on the Assistant Curator Development Programme. Each new

assistant curator is placed in one of the four main collections within the museum, and this

becomes their 'home' department. Within the five years' duration of the programme,

it is expected that each assistant curator undertakes up to 12 months of secondments to one of

the other departments of the museum, and this does not necessarily have to be a curatorial

department. I am home-based in the Word  Image Department which comprises of: the Prints,

Drawings, Paintings and Photographs collection; the National Art Library and finally the

Archive of Art and Design. I have been based in the Designs section of Word  Image; this

collection covers objects that show the working process of design, so this can include a wide

variety of material from architectural drawings to fashion designs and textile patterns. Next

year I will begin a six-month secondment to the Asia Department where I will be cataloguing and

researching a holding of nineteenth-century Indian photography.

A significant aspect of my role in Designs section is involvement with the VA+RIBA (Royal

Institute of British Architects) Architecture Partnership. One of the first projects I got

involved with when I started at the museum was performing with the Architecture Education

officer to devise a 7-month season looking at Islamic Architecture, both historical and

contemporary, entitled 'Alternating Currents'. This season included a wide variety of

events, including object-handling talks and off-site study day visits. A significant aspect of

this project was the decision to archive a large amount of the material resulting from the

talks and discussions on the VA website, so that the season could exist as a permanent resource

for students/researchers etc.

My day-to-day role can be very varied, ranging from activities such as answering email

enquiries from researchers regarding the Designs collections, delivering gallery talks, or

doing work on the enquiries desk of the Prints  Drawings Study Room which offers visitors the

chance to access the vast proportion of the Word  Image collections which is not on display. I

have recently finished co-curating a display in the Architecture Exhibition Gallery, entitled

'On The Threshold' which looks at contemporary housing schemes. This work took about 8

months to complete, from initial discussions to the display finally opening in early November.

The tasks included researching contemporary architect practices and projects, arranging

transport and insurance of loan objects, functioning with designers and technical teams on the

look-and-feel of the show and the installation of the objects, liaising with the Conservation

department, and writing the gallery text for the object labels.

I was temporarily promoted in October to the role of Curator, Designs. This is a 6-month

maternity cover position, and I am looking forward to making the most of this temporary role:

rising to the challenge of greater responsibilities, visibility and accountability, especially

in relation to the VA+RIBA Partnership.
Chris, gallery assistant

As a gallery assistant my day always starts with a briefing, held before the Museum opens,

where I am informed of events happening in the Museum that day. I am allocated a Gallery and

spend the day ensuring that the objects are secure and that the visitors are safe. Meeting and

talking to visitors is one of my favourite parts of my job. Although I am not an expert in the

Collections I have built up a good knowledge of the different pieces we have here and can often

give visitors a bit of background. I enjoy providing a friendly and welcoming environment for

people to see the wonderful building and collection.

Gallery assistants are rostered to attend training sessions one afternoon every six weeks. I

really enjoy my training sessions, which cover many areas of the business, from customer care

skills to evacuation training. This helps me be the best I can be on the galleries and gives me

confidence to perform my duties.

As part of the gallery assistant role, we can be asked to work on the Sales and Information

desk. This can involve queue management for popular exhibitions, ticket collecting/sales and

meeting and greeting. I find the environment friendly and exciting. Sales and Information is a

very different experience from the main galleries due to the tasks and skills needed, but one I

enjoy.

My favourite museum object is The Great Bed of Ware mentioned in Shakespeare��s Twelfth

Night, built by Jonas Fosbrook, possibly around 1463. One of the reasons this is my favourite

object is because at some point in the bed��s history it was moved to the White Hart inn, in

Ware, which is the name of my local town. I also think the bed��s ornate markings give it an

amazing character.

Even after thirteen years as a Gallery Assistant for the VA, I am still very proud to walk

around the 6.5 miles of public space, and am still in awe of this historic building.
Pat, development and NVQ manager

I came across the VA by pure fluke. I had visited with my school back in the 60's but had

not been back until 1987 when I was looking for a part-time job. On the time a friend of mine

was performing in the National Art Library and told me that they were looking for an

administration assistant and that I should apply for the job. I did and, when I came for

interview, I remember being totally overwhelmed by the building and the objects. My first day

in the Library was equally overwhelming because there were so many books and beautiful rooms,

particularly the reading room, but, my most abiding memory is the people; everyone was so

friendly and very helpful to me and, it is something that I will never forget! I worked in the

Library for five years and then progressed on to becoming the VA Receptionist which I really

enjoyed. I love meeting new people and this was such a wonderful opportunity for me because it

meant that I met people from all different walks of life both visitors and colleagues.

The job could be very challenging at times, but that was fine as it made it more interesting.

Working with the VA has given me lots of opportunities - I have been promoted five times in

twenty years. My current role is Development and NVQ Manager within the Training and

Development team. No two days are the same - one day I can be scheduling meetings for NVQ

candidates, meeting with the assessors, and doing road shows to other Heritage and Culture

organizations, the next day I may be training new Gallery Assistants, and delivering access

tours.

I'm currently working on two projects. The Young Graduates for Museums and Galleries

project aims is to give graduates from non-traditional backgrounds an insight in to what goes

on behind the scenes of a national museum, during a two week internship within a curatorial

department. I am also doing work on a project with Hackney Recruitment Partnership, which finds

students with learning difficulties work experience within the Museum, to boost their

confidence and to encourage them to seek employment when they leave school. These projects are

fulfilling and inspirational and I feel that I am making a difference to the future generation.

I feel very proud to work for the VA. My greatest moment was when I represented the Museum at

the Charter Mark Award Ceremony in 2000 when we won the award. I received the award from the

late Mo Mowlam. My dreams had really come true.
Sherrie, stained glass conservator

As the Museum's only permanent stained glass conservator, I am responsible for the

conservation of its stained glass collection. I manage the daily activities of the Stained

Glass Studio, which involves planning and organising object treatments for galleries,

exhibitions and loans as well as advising on the storage and display of stained glass objects.

My work also includes research, assessment, technical examination, documentation and treatment

of the Museum's large and varied stained glass collection.

In 2001 I arrived in the Museum as an MA student on the RCA/VA Conservation course. My course

curriculum included training in the Stained Glass Conservation studio for three days a week to

gain practical conservation skills. Following my graduation in June 2004, I joined the Museum

as a Stained Glass Conservator, and in June 2006 I was promoted to Senior Stained Glass

Conservator.

Since joining the VA, the main focus of my work has been planning and carrying out the

conservation, framing and display of objects for the Sacred Silver  Stained Glass gallery,

which opened in November 2005, and the Medieval  Renaissance galleries which opened for the end

of 2009. I am particularly proud of my involvement in the transformation of the old Church

Plate galleries into two vibrant new rooms displaying stained glass alongside church silver.

Over 150 stained glass objects were selected for permanent display in this gallery, which

illustrates both the technical changes that have taken place and the changing role in stained

glass over the centuries.
Sue, operations manager, Furniture, Textiles and Fashion

I joined the VA as Operations Officer in the Department of Textiles  Dress in 2001. I knew the

Museum was in the process of a major refurbishment programme, which would offer enormous scope

for career development. Initially I had responsibility for the day to day management of the

textile and dress collection, its stores, galleries and loans programme, as well as displays.

However, my role expanded when we were reorganised into the new Department of Furniture,

Textiles and Fashion.

I am now a member of the senior management team in the Department, and have a much more

strategic role, focusing on short and long term planning. Operations and project management are

my areas of expertise but I really needed a new challenge and so in 2002 I took responsibility

for the contemporary textile collection. I love operating with artists, designers and makers -

and building up the collection. For me its extremely important that the collection continues to

have relevance for future generations, we're not a static collection but one which

continues to inspire people operating in the creative industries. One of the most rewarding

projects I've worked on has been the 'Concealed-Discovered-Revealed' display by Sue

Lawty in Gallery 101. Sue worked closely with the historic textile collection to create a new

piece of work - one which is firmly rooted in traditional practice but created with a

contemporary eye.

I'm a frantic multi-tasker - you have to be in my job, no one day is ever the same! We have

over 80,000 objects in the collection, ranging from small fragments of Coptic textiles, to

large 15th century tapestries to haute couture dress by Dior and Vivienne Westwood. I can start

off answering enquiries from the public about the collection, then conduct a 'behind the

scenes' tour in one of the stores. I may need to assess the suitability of an object for

loan or exhibition or attend a project meeting regarding the impact of building work for the

new Medieval  Renaissance Galleries. I've installed displays such as 'Men in

Skirts' and 'Catherine Walker', worked on Fashion in Motion events including Jean

Paul Gaultier and Swarovski and have travelled extensively on courier trips to the States,

Japan, Australia and Europe.

In 2004 I became the lead curator for the major quilt exhibition in 2010, which showcased the

VA's amazing historic quilt collection. Being in such close proximity to an object,

undertaking research into its origins, its materials and technique is one of the most rewarding

parts of my day. I lectured to the quilting group in Wandsworth Prison about the exhibition and

the collection, it can be difficult trying to find time to write lectures and articles but

again, disseminating information about the collection is a key task for any curator, be it in

publications or as part of our Collections on Line activity. A large part of my day is also

taken up with HR issues - training and development of junior workers is very important to me

and the VA has a fantastic training programme. In 2005 I attended a 'Leaders in London'

conference and had the pleasure of meeting Mikael Gobachev and Madeleine Albright - both

completely inspirational speakers and excellent role models.

The VA has always been my local museum, so I sometimes forget it has an international profile!

As a child I always wanted to walk through the doors marked 'Workers Only' and it still

gives me an enormous thrill to be able to do exactly that. I'm often told by members of the

public that I have the best job in the world, you can't get a better recommendation than

that.