To help create an inclusive workplace and collection, North Herts Museum has recently welcomed Curatorial Trainee Freya Purcell to the team, who has epilepsy and dyslexia.
Freya has been employed as part of Curating for Change, a nationwide campaign to tackle the under-representation of disabled, neurodiverse and Deaf/deaf individuals working within the museum sector (the capital D in Deaf generally differentiates between a member of the deaf community with hearing loss from before they could speak and someone who has a significant hearing impairment usually later in life).
Funded by the National Lottery, the scheme aims to increase diversity in the sector, as a report by the Office for National Statistics in 2020 found that 20% of the working age population is disabled, yet according to recent surveys they make up only 4% of people working as museum professionals.
Freya, who recently completed a Masters in History of Design, a course offered jointly by the Royal College of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum, wants to hear what stories people might have about experiences with disability in the area, both historical and present-day. She said: “The chance to showcase stories within our collection of disabled individuals is hugely exciting. Having loved museums from a young age, I rarely saw my experience as a young person with disabilities reflected. It is a privilege to help address that.”
Councillor Keith Hoskins, Executive Member for Enterprise and Arts, added: “We’re so pleased to help contribute to this change across the sector, to help ensure our staff and collections can more fully reflect the diverse and vital stories of North Herts.”
Esther Fox, Head of Accentuate who oversees Curating for Change, said: “We are so excited that with thanks to National Lottery players’ support, we can at last tackle the huge problem of the under-representation of D/deaf and disabled people in our museums – both as staff, and in the collections and stories that are told. We are privileged to be working with a whole range of wonderful museums to bring about this change.”
To find out more or to tell your story about disability in North Herts please get in touch:
Email: Freya.Purcell@north-herts.gov.uk
Call: 01462 474554
Social media: @nhertsmuseum on Twitter or @northhertsmusuem on Facebook and Instagram
North Herts Museum is located in Brand Street, Hitchin, open Tue-Sat 10.30am-4.30pm and Sun 11am-3pm, and general admission is free.
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