#003 - February 2016
Dorset County Museum Volunteer Newsletter Dates for Your Diary: ARCHAEOLOGY Fri 5 Feb 2016 ‘Recent Dorset Discoveries’ by Rosemary Maw and Bryan Popple’ 7.30pm Fri 4 March 2016 ‘Top of the World’ by Dr Bruce Bradley 7.30pm GEOLOGY Wed 10 Feb 2016 ‘Diamonds through Time’ by Prof. Andy Fleet 7pm Wed 9 Mar 2016 ‘Taphonomy, where Biology meets Geology’ by Dr Peter Andrews 7.30pm LUNCHTIME CONCERTS Wed 10, Thurs 18 and Wed 24 Feb, 10 Mar 2016 HARDY TALKS Thurs 25 Feb 2016 ‘Hardy and Education’ by Jonathon Memel TRAVELLERS’ TALES Thurs 4 Feb 2016 ‘The Lost Treasures of Syria’ by Michael Insley Thurs 17 Mar 2016 ‘A Year in the Congo’ by David James
Welcome to Issue no.3 of DCMVOX... February sees the start of a busy time for the Museum. It kicks off with our first Volunteers Coffee Morning on Tues 9 Feb, which we hope many of you will come along to! February is also packed with a number of family activities and temporary exhibitions in both the tea room and the main Temporary Exhibition space, and will mark the start of our new exhibition programme where only one, bigger, exhibition will be held per year. There will also be some deep clean and maintenance days throughout the Museum, on Mon 22 and Tues 23 Feb, where the Museum will be closed to visitors. Volunteers are still welcome to come into the Museum but please be aware there will be no staff support on these days and your working area may be effected. If there is anything you would like to see included in this newsletter, or you would like to feature in next month’s issue, then please email your suggestions to Gabriella Crouch on fundraising@dorsetcountymuseum.org by Mon 15 Feb 2016. Any suggestions welcome!
Volunteers Coffee Morning– Tuesday 9 Feb 9.30-10.30am Please pop in and join us in the Victorian Gallery for free tea, coffee, cakes and a chance to chat with other volunteers. RSVP to Anna on secretary@dorsetcountymuseum.org A big THANK YOU to all our education volunteers and everyone who makes learning in the Museum such a great experience!
The Museum welcomed more than 2,000 pupils in 2015 from 56 different schools. The majority of the young visitors were local, but the museum also attracts schools from further afield with a class from Germany dropping by and ten pupils all the way from Singapore paying a visit. Emma Talbot, Head of Education and Learning, said: ‘It is fabulous to see so many children actively engaging with Dorset’s past. Our tour guides are all volunteers and do an amazing job making history come alive for the children. We couldn’t offer this service without them and I can’t thank them enough.’ Sasha Jones, of Milborne St Andrew First School, commented after a visit: ‘The assistance we received from all staff and volunteers was excellent.’
Family Activity Day- 17 Feb 2016 During the school holidays, families often take over the Victorian Hall for the morning and things can get a little messy! This year we’ve revamped the format a little and will be offering a CRAFT ACADEMY. Families will use their imagination and a few carefully selected materials to create wonderful pieces inspired by our collections. We’re hoping this February half term will be as busy as ever. If you are able to help in anyway or would like to find out more please email Emma at education@dorsetcountymuseum.org All Family Activities are kindly sponsored by Battens Solicitors through its Charitable Trust and are Free.
Thank you for all your commitment and keep up the good work!
Collections Discovery Centre Update Where we are...
After the appointment of Carmody Groarke, our project architect, our design team is now in place. All consultants have met to outline their roles and responsibilities and work has begun!
Many of you will have seen our Conservation Planner, Aimee Henderson from Purcell, around the Museum. She has been working on the very important conservation document. During her research, Aimee invited a group of local conservation students to observe her. This was a great opportunity for the Museum to continue to positively contribute to the local community, during its development phase.
Where we’re heading... We will shortly be advertising for an Exhibition Development Officer to join the Museum, and project team, as a full time member of staff. If you would like to find out more about this post, or are interested in applying, contact Anna on secretary@dorsetcountymuseum.org or visit our website. New Appointments… Consultants
Peter Lee, Architect and Design Team Leader, Carmody Groarke.
MANY THANKS to all our volunteers – without you our Museum would not function as effectively as it does. Dorset County Museum, High West Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XA Tel: 01305 262735 - www.dorsetcountymuseum.org
Visitor Quote of the Month: ‘Superb– Absolutely First Class’ ‘There are some real treasures here. Many thanks.’
Tea Room Exhibitions
1 Feb- 6 March 2016 ‘Art and Music Interlaced’ by Damian Clarke:
Damian Clarke will be exhibited a selection of his painted and ink drawings. These will complement a lunchtime concert, held at the Museum on Thurs 18 Feb 1-2pm where he will perform the Hammer Dulcimer and Hurdy Gurdy.’
7 March– 5 June 2016 ‘Unknown Photographs of Dorset’ by Val Dicker:
Our Photographic Archive Team will present a collection of unidentified photographs from the Museum’s, Dorset Photographic Archive. Can you help identify them?
Victorian Fayre
‘Speed to the West: A Nostalgic Journey’ Saturday 19 March 2016– 7 Jan 2017 in Temporary Exhibition Space. Curated by Paul Atterbury & Richard Furness. Nothing is more evocative of the golden age of travel than the railway poster, and Dorset County Museum is thrilled to be staging an exhibition featuring over 50 famous examples that opens on 19th March. These beautiful works of art were created between 1916 and the 1970s with one aim in mind: to encourage holiday makers to escape the humdrum of every day life and travel by train to the resorts, towns, countryside and special places of Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Paul Atterbury: ‘This is a wonderful collection that is well worth coming to see, and I’m very pleased to be involved with this exhibition.’ Richard Furness: ‘This exhibition brings together posters spanning a century, and is rounded off with the latest GWR poster which demonstrates that the slogan ‘Speed to the West’ is still actively in use today. Visitors should have a lot to see and reminisce over. Do come and see us!’ Jon Murden: ‘I’m really excited about this exhibition. The posters and railway memorabilia we’re exhibiting are within living memory for many people, forming a direct link to the past.’ The Victorian Gallery will be filled with:
Sunday 21st February
Traditional crafts and rural skills
2-5pm
Live music, song and poetry
Supported by William Barnes Society and Friends of William Barnes. Please Note: The refurbished William Barnes Gallery in Dorset County Museum will open on St George’s Day, 23 April 2016.
In the Victorian Gallery, Children’s Dorset County Museum Free Entry!
entertainment
Morris Men Maypole dancing
All proceeds from Victorian Fayre will go to
Afternoon Tea An afternoon for all the family to enjoy!
Victorian Gallery Exhibition Commemoration of the Dorset Yeomanry. Friday 29 Jan– Fri 3 June 2016 in the Victorian Gallery. The exhibition centres around a painting by Lady Butler to commemorate the centenary of the Dorset Yeomanry’s charge at Agagia which was the last regimental charge by a British regiment.
MUSEUM CLOSURE Mon 22 Feb and Tues 23 Feb 2016 The Museum will be closed to visitors on these days for deep clean and maintenance. Volunteers are welcome to come into the Museum, but please be aware no staff support will be available on these days. Please check with your Team Leader or member of staff if appropriate to inform your decision regarding attendance on these days.
Welcome to our new volunteers…. However, since December we have By Jill Minchin, Volunteer Co-ordinator & Trustee welcomed as new volunteers:
We continue to receive applications from new volunteers, but due to the importance of the HLF CDC project and the high demands on staff time this makes, we will be unable this year to take on any foreign internships after March.
the Museum.
Raffle
Joanna Edwards and Christopher Dart to our Fine Art team, Jenny Langdon to Visitor Services Stuart McLeod will be joining Emma Talbot in her growing Education team.
Murden’s Memo…. ‘January saw the departure of the St Ives and British Modernism which was highly praised by the Dannatt Trust as, “looking better here than at any other venue”. A great tribute to our collections management and technical services teams – who have also worked so hard to return the paintings in the exhibition safely back to our colleagues at Pallant House in Chichester. Well done and thank you to all involved!’ Jon Murden, Director
The teams that have specifically asked for more volunteers are: Our Digitisation project The Tea Room And IT and data entry volunteers are always welcome. JMM
If you would like to receive this newsletter by email please send your contact details to Gabriella Crouch on fundraising@dorsetcountymuseum.org