SMA Conference 2012
All that glistens? Will 2012 be a golden year for museum Archaeology?
Speaker summaries
SESSION ONE
The Community Archaeology work of the Centre for Applied Archaeology, University of
Salford
Dr Mike Neville, Head of Archaeology, Centre for Applied Archaeology
School of the Built Environment, University of Salford
This paper will look at the community archaeology work of the Centre for Applied Archaeology at
Salford University, undertake since 2009. Working closely with the Greater Manchester
Archaeology Forum the Centre has developed a range of approaches for community engagement
on sites not threatened with any redevelopment, and as part of developer-funded sites. Projects
discussed will include Dig Greater Manchester, a five year project which is currently the largest
community project in England; develop-funded community projects such as Worsley New Hall;
and the training and support provided to the Greater Manchester Archaeology Forum’
Dr Michael Nevell is Head of Archaeology at the Centre for Applied Archaeology, University of
Salford. He has more than 25 years archaeology experience, and is one of the leading industrial
archaeologists in the UK. He is co-editor of the international journal Industrial Archaeology
Review, chair of the Institute for Archaeologists Buildings Archaeology Group, and has written
more than 20 books, including studies of the archaeology of Glasgow and Manchester.
Parklife: Whitworth Park Community Archaeology and History Project
Siân Jones, Professor of Archaeology, the University of Manchester (co-authored by Hannah
Cobb & Melanie Giles)
Public parks are important components of urban landscapes throughout the UK. Their origins lie
in the nineteenth century park movement, which was a response to the immense changes
associated with industrialisation and urbanisation. In this paper we will discuss the role of parks in
the production of memory and identity, in relation to the Whitworth Park Community Archaeology
and History Project. Through the combined use of archival, archaeological, oral historical and
social research, the project explores the changing role of the urban park. At the same time the
project is intended to encourage community engagement and participation through voluntary
work, school workshops and public events. The project is funded by the HLF, and led by the
Department of Archaeology at the University of Manchester, in partnership with The Manchester
Museum, the Whitworth Art Gallery, the Friends of Whitworth Park and the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah
Race Relations Resource Centre.
Siân Jones is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Manchester. She specialises in
anthropological archaeology and carries out work on monuments, memory and identity, as well as
research on archaeological heritage and conservation, and community archaeology. Dr Melanie
Giles is a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at Manchester who specialises in Iron Age archaeology,
burial practices, archaeological ethics, and museum archaeology. Dr Hannah Cobb is a Teaching
Fellow and Technician, also at Manchester, who specialises in field practice, Mesolithic and
Neolithic archaeology, and community archaeology.
Keynote
Making Museum Archaeology Matter
Nick Merriman, Director, the Manchester Museum
Nick will look at some of the key issues that face museum archaeologists today, operating as they
do at the interface between planning-led fieldwork, academia, public engagement, and long-term
collections management. On the one hand, museum archaeology needs to ensure that it is
meeting contemporary agendas, which tend to be short-term, and concerned with current social
issues, ranging from cultural diversity to employability, at the same time as properly engaging
with the archive and how it can be better used and developed. He will argue that for a long time
the contemporary and the long-term aspects of museum archaeology have been conceptualised
as separate realms, but that it may be more helpful to view them holistically. He will use examples
from a range of case studies, including the Manchester Museum.
Nick Merriman became Director of the Manchester Museum in March 2006. Prior to that he was
Director of Museums & Collections, and Reader in Museum Studies, at University College
London, for 8 years. During this time, he developed new courses in museum and heritage
studies, and created a new university-wide museum service. From 2004-6 he was a part time
Fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme, undertaking a bespoke scheme of training and
development in cultural leadership. He began his career at the Museum of London in 1986, as
Curator of Prehistory and subsequently Head of the Department of Early London History and
Collections. While there, he led a pioneering project called ‘The Peopling of London’ which told
the story of the capital’s cultural diversity from ancient times to the present. He studied
archaeology at Cambridge University, and his PhD, on widening participation in museums, was
published as ‘Beyond The Glass Case’. He was Chair of ICOM (UK) from 2001-2004, President
of the Council for British Archaeology from 2005-2008, and is currently Chair of the University
Museums Group and Convener of the Museums Association's Ethics Committee.
SESSION TWO
After Renaissance: the restructuring of Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service Philip
Wise, Heritage Manager, Colchester and Ipswich Museums
Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service was created on 1 April 2007 by the merger of the
museum services based in the two towns. By virtue of the fact that Colchester Museums had
been a regional hub museum the new organisation too was a hub and benefitted from substantial
Renaissance funding during the first five years of its existence. In January 2012 CIMS learnt that
it had been unsuccessful in its application for major grant funding, losing out to two other former
hub museums in the East of England: Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service and the
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. This failure had immediate and far reaching consequences for
CIMS in terms of funding and consequently staffing and activity levels. This paper will review this
impact, explain what actions were taken in response and offer some practical advice as to how to
survive the process.
Philip Wise read archaeology and anthropology at Downing College, Cambridge and
subsequently studied at the Department of Museum Studies, University of Leicester and the
Institute of Archaeology, University College London. He has worked in a variety of local authority
museums since 1983 and is currently Curatorial and Collections Manager with Colchester and
Ipswich Museum Service. Philip holds the Diploma of the Museums Association, is a member of
the Institute for Archaeologists and was Chairman of the Society of Museum Archaeologists from
2006-2009 and of the UK Archaeological Archives Forum from 2007-2011. He is currently the
museum representative on the Human Remains Advisory Panel of the Mary Rose Trust.
Opening Up To Archaeology - The VIP way
Glynn Davis, Archaeology Collections Manager (Volunteers)
The Museum of London’s Archaeological Archive & Research Centre (LAARC) is the largest of its
kind in the world, storing records for over 8,500 excavations and over five million artefacts. Since
opening in 2002, volunteers have been crucial in making improvements to the storage and
accessibility of our collections. The Renaissance funded ‘Volunteer Inclusion Programme’ (20082012) allowed LAARC to develop the potential of inclusive, engaging and educational
museum/archive volunteering.
This paper will look at the results of ‘LAARC VIP’, its dissemination and its wider museum impact,
before exploring how the next stage of the programme funded by ACE has allowed us to expand
our remit to outer London areas under the ‘Opening Up Archaeology’ scheme.
Glynn Davis is the Archaeology Collections Manager (Volunteers) for the Museum of London’s
(MOL) Archaeological Archive (LAARC). For the past four years he has co-devised and
developed the award winning Volunteer Inclusion Programme (VIP), which has transformed
public access to the Museum’s archaeological collections and provided volunteers with a unique
learning experience. He co-delivered the MOL’s largest volunteer-led inclusion project in its 36
year history, which won best ‘Educational Initiative’ at the Museum & Heritage Awards 2011.
Having recently completed an MA in Museum Studies his previous degrees are in Classical
archaeology.
Making archaeology accessible is ACE!
Jenny Durrant, Assistant Curator, Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter
In my talk I’ll reflect both sides of the ACE coin at RAMM. Firstly I’ll provide an overview of an
ACE-funded Collections Review project to improve collections access and use. I’ll highlight some
of the problems and successes, and our experience of the disposals process. I’ll then showcase a
project funded by the AG Leventis Foundation to increase access and engagement with our
Cypriot and Greek archaeology collections. I hope to demonstrate what can be achieved with a
modest budget and some lateral thinking!
I’ve worked with Devon’s archaeology for over 10 years, in both the museum and commercial
archaeology sectors. After four years working on a major redevelopment project, winner of the Art
Fund Prize ‘Museum of the Year 2012’ award, I’m now working with those areas of the collection
that are less well known.
SESSION THREE
Archaeological Archives and Museums 2012
Rachel Edwards, Arboretum Archaeological Consultancy
The paper will summarise the results of a project carried out with SMA and English Heritage
funding, and in collaboration with the Federation of Archaeological Managers and Employers. The
project aimed to answer or investigate some of the issues raised in the Trouble in Store seminar
held by FAME in York in 2011, and to consider issues relating to archaeological archives in
museums that have been highlighted in the Southport Report, and also identified by EH as areas
for concern and action. A survey of museums was carried out, alongside a survey of
archaeological contracting organisations undertaken by FAME. By the time of the SMA
conference the project report will be available, and the next steps will have been identified. These
will be discussed further in this conference session
Rachel Edwards has worked in archaeology for over half her life. She worked for Worcestershire
County Council Archaeology Service for over 14 years in a variety of roles, including carrying out
fieldwork (ie creating archaeological archives to be deposited in museums), working as a
planning archaeologist (ie requiring others to create archaeological archives), and working in the
Sites and Monuments Record. Since 2002 she has worked in a freelance capacity trading as
‘Arboretum Archaeological Consultancy’, carrying out a wide range of projects which could
loosely be described as heritage management, including surveys of archaeologists, Sites and
Monuments Records, and museums. In 2006 she completed the previous SMA survey of
museum collecting areas
The Future of Archaeological Archives: Unlocking the potential
Kirsty Lingstadt, Collections Operational Manager & Ian Fraser, Collections Curator, RCAHMS,
This paper will set out the context of archaeological archives in Scotland and highlight some of
the issues discussed at a Seminar held in June this year. The focus was to look at the future of
archaeological archives, the issues and opportunities in Scotland and to explore whether or not
charging should be introduced for the deposit of archaeological archives. The session explored
what the long term future for archaeological archives might be in light of financially challenging
times.
Kirsty Lingstadt is responsible for the development of the collections at RCAHMS. This involves
the development of cataloguing systems and programmes, management of stores, conservation,
access to the collections and the public service.
She previously worked for South Lanarkshire Council Museums Service, Scottish Mining Museum
and Fife Council Museums Service. Within all these organisations she managed collections,
exhibition programmes and associated activities across a wide range of venues as well as
running community outreach programmes.
Iain Fraser is responsible for developing the archival cataloguing programme at RCAHMS, and
supervises trainee and volunteer projects. He has worked in a variety of roles at RCAHMS, in
both field and collections and was previously responsible for archaeological collections.
Contexts, Catalogues and Business Models: A different approach to archaeological
archiving
Quinton Carroll, Historic Environment Team Manager, Cambridgeshire County Council
Cambridgeshire County Council operates an archaeological archive store as part of the Historic
Environment Record for the sole purpose of receiving excavation archives. This allows museums
to use selected material in their exhibits without being concerned over the bulk storage needs of
modern archives. However, like all repositories, museum based or otherwise, we have the same
stresses and issues, and have recently joined the list of 'black holes' due to lack of capacity. The
council has been looking at various options to improve the situation over the years, but repeatedly
comes up against the same clash of costs vs. accessibility. We have however recently adopted a
new model, and are transforming our entire archiving process into something that we intend to be
more efficient and cost-effective, yet better used.
Quinton Carroll is the Historic Environment Team Manager for Cambridgeshire County Council,
leading the team that delivers archaeological functions across the county and districts. For the
past 10 years he has had responsibility for the county archaeological store. The available shelf
space was full, so after an initial success in extending this, he has been scratching his head
ever since and looking at all options to try to maintain the function of archive storage in the
county, outside a museum environment. He is the current Chair of the Archaeological Archives
Forum.
Museums in Wales: taking a strategic perspective
Lesley-Anne Kerr, Head of Museums Development, CyMAL
In 2010, the Welsh Government published the first museums strategy for Wales. The strategy is
now two years into its operation and it is an opportune time to consider its impact and
effectiveness. The paper will discuss how strategy can affect practice on the ground and what it
means to have a strategy for Wales.
Lesley-Anne Kerr is Head of Museums Development at CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries
Wales. She received an Honours degree in Archaeology at Glasgow University and began her
wide-ranging museum career at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow. Posts on the Isle of Wight
and Somerset followed before Lesley-Anne joined the West Midlands Regional Museums Council
as a Development Director. In 2004, she joined the Welsh Government and is now responsible
for developing government policy for museums in Wales.
SESSION FOUR
Museums in Arts Council: one year on
Hedley Swain, Director Museums and Renaissance, Arts Council England
One year on from the transfer of museum functions from the MLA to Arts Council I will discuss
how integration is proceeding, how the Renaissance programme has been re-launched and what
we hope it will achieve, and how the English museum sector currently looks from our perspective
and what our sector wide priorities should be. As best I can I will make these observations
relevant to archaeology and museums.
Hedley Swain is Director of Museums and Renaissance at Arts Council England (ACE) with
overall responsibility for museum policy and strategy. He joined ACE in the summer of 2011 from
the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). He had joined MLA in 2007 as Head of
Museum Policy becoming Director of Programmes in 2008. He has been closely involved in the
development of the Renaissance programme to support regional museums in England and was
instrumental in the transfer of museum and library responsibilities from MLA to ACE.
The Scottish Strategy for Museums
Dr. Ellen McAdam, Head of Museums and Collections, Glasgow Museums
Following the Think Tank report instigated by the former Scottish Culture Minister Mike Russell in
2009, Museums Galleries Scotland has morphed from a membership body to a development
body charged with developing a Scottish Museums Strategy. This paper outlines the aims of the
Strategy, the current state of the museums sector in Scotland, and a cross-section of opinion on
the developments.
Dr Ellen McAdam is Head of Museums and Collections for Glasgow Life. After reading
archaeology at Edinburgh and Oxford she undertook post-doctoral research in museums in the
Near East, UK, USA and Europe, and was Research Fellow of the British School of Archaeology
in Iraq. Returning to Britain, she worked for a number of heritage organisations before joining
Glasgow Museums in 2001 as Collections Services Manager, responsible for the physical and
intellectual integrity of the city’s internationally significant collection. She has contributed to the
delivery of a number of HLF-funded projects including the Kelvingrove New Century, Riverside
Museum and Glasgow Museums Phase 2 projects. She is currently leading on the development
of the joint Kelvin Hall project with the Hunterian Museum and National Library of Scotland, and of
the project to refurbish the Burrell Collection.
She has lectured and published widely on Near Eastern and British archaeology and is an
Honorary Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow. Recent publications include
Excavations at Barrow Hills, Radley, Volume 2: the Romano-British cemetery and Anglo-Saxon
settlement (with RA Chambers, 2007) and Navigations, voyages, traffics and discoveries: early
European travellers to Mesopotamia, in Your Praise is Sweet. A memorial volume presented to
Jeremy Allen Black by colleagues, students, and friends (2010, eds H Baker, E Robson, G
Zólyomi).