My Cataloguing and Research Placement
I’m Jasmin and I am currently a 2nd-year student at the University of Birmingham, studying Ancient History & Archaeology and History (yes, a mouthful!). I undertook this placement as part of my module on Professional Skills, as a practical way to understand employability in the heritage sector. My placement as a Cataloguing and Research Assistant at Birmingham Museum Collection Centre was a great eye-opener to the life behind the museum displays.
Discover and Explore Birmingham Museums – What’s On in 2020!
Have you seen our brand new What’s On leaflet for 2020?
Pick up a copy today in one of our museums or download a copy of the What's On 2020 Leaflet (PDF 5MB). Read More...
Volunteer Views: Start of 2020
I am very excited by the presence of the Breughel entitled Autumn, in Galleries 23/24 and I am fascinated by the detail. The animation of the human figures is a delight, and the plodding cattle have a convincing solidity. It all comes to life for me like a Disney film clip. I can hear the flapping wings of the geese and the squeals of pigs. There is someone high in a tree on the left picking apples, and probably throwing them too. The difference between the dark rectangle of wood found in the store and the completely restored piece is a glorious transformation.
The whole back story is of course a treat, including the fortunate finding of an appropriate frame of size and correct period. I understand that the picture is possibly a collaboration of two artists, unnamed members of the Jan Breughel workshop. Perhaps the lead artist is actually Jan the Elder? The pale background landscape giving a view of a river, a sailing boat and mountains may be contributed by a contemporary colleague, according to the BBC Four programme and expert advice. Read More...
Win Membership at Birmingham Museums and a Meal at Fazenda
To celebrate working with our neighbours Fazenda Birmingham, we’ve teamed up to give you the chance to win a 12 month Joint Adult Membership at Birmingham Museums and a dinner for two at Fazenda Birmingham .
Located on the prestigious Colmore Row, Fazenda Birmingham joined the flourishing restaurant scene in 2018 - Just a stone throw away from Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Read More...
Cut, Copy, Remix: Call for Artists
In April 2020 Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Black Hole Club and Cold War Steve will be coming together to explore the creative potential of Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Image Resource http://dams.birminghammuseums.org.uk. Birmingham Museums Trust is the only collection in the UK that is making all out-of-copyright artworks available for free under a Creative Commons Zero License (CC0).
The collection is one of the city’s greatest cultural assets and a priceless resource for learning, engagement and creativity. It consists of around 800,000 objects, displayed and stored in Birmingham Museums Trust’s nine venues. Over 3500 of these objects are now available as free digital images, with more being added every week. Read More...
Win a Pre-Raphaelite Afternoon Tea for Two
With Christmas out of the way we are starting the new year by offering you a special treat, you can win our Pre-Raphaelite themed Afternoon Tea for two at the Edwardian Tearooms.
Launched as part of the Edwardian Tearooms' winter menu, the Pre-Raphaelite Afternoon Tea features: a selection of Italian-inspired finger sandwiches, open sandwiches, sun blush tomato & basil tart, antipasti brochette, meringue and cakes. It’s sure to temp your taste buds! Read More...
Volunteer Views: Visitors to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Hello everybody. This is my third blog and with a slightly different theme it is devoted to the interesting things people say while I am volunteering at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
While volunteering, I came across a visitor speaking to a colleague because she couldn't find King Feisal. She was very anxious because she believed that he "had gone". I thought I would see what I could do to find him. Read More...
Birmingham Revolutions – Power to the People
“Power in the hand of ignorance, is an edge-tool of the most dangerous kind.” – William Hutton, Birmingham Historian (1781).
From the Priestley Riots of 1791 all the way through to the LGBTQ+ campaigns of today, the ‘Birmingham Revolutions – Power to the People’ exhibition is a chance to discover the different voices and ideas that have contributed to the fight for a better Birmingham. Read More...
Volunteers Create New Unicorn Trail
During October half term we launched a new trail at Aston Hall, a unicorn pincushion trail. This project was extra special because a team of volunteers spent months lovingly creating these beautiful objects for display.
Our volunteer Historic Needlework Group started this project in the spring of 2019, building on their last project which created amazing embroidered squirrel bunting for the Stable Yard Café at Aston Hall. This year they have again been meeting once a week in the Great Dining Room at Aston Hall to work on their unicorn pincushions and to share their skills with visitors. Read More...
Sharing our heritage with the world - first stop China
University of Birmingham student, Jessie Guo volunteered at Birmingham Museums as a China Tourism Research Assistant. Jessie’s role was look at what we already offered to visitors from China and what we needed to do to make our Historic Properties more welcoming to these visitors.
As well as researching where Birmingham Museums had a presence on Chinese digital platforms, Jessie carried out some translation work at The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter where we have a high proportion of Chinese Visitors. Read More...