Compiled by Olivia Beavers, Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at World Museum, National Museums Liverpool.
Welcome to the June edition of NatSCA Digital Digest.
A monthly blog series featuring the latest on where to go, what to see and do in the natural history sector including jobs, exhibitions, conferences, and training opportunities. We are keen to hear from you if you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest, please drop an email to blog@natsca.org.
Sector News
From Collections to Connections, May – November 2024
This Changing Chalk commission/ Natural Trust funded project is a collaborative archival art and environment initiative. Artist Pauline Rutter invites Black and minoritised young people, their families and communities to explore the rich history of flora and fauna across several locations of the Changing Chalk area within the South Downs National Park.
‘From Collections to Connections’ offers opportunities for learning and sharing about collections held at the Booth Museum which relate to the Sussex locations of Mill Hill, Truleigh Hill and Devils Dyke. Through walks, talks and creative interventions, opportunities are provided for exploring the museum collections and their related histories. Individuals will be invited to find their own connections between these elements and their experiences within the natural and museum environments. To find out more, follow this link to the summary outline: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cJQh4UYMTeRB_HqsM7EydOmNBLGKYQpb/view
Joint HoGG/GCG meeting: The History of Geological Discovery in Polar Regions
Bookings are now open for The History of Geological Discovery in Polar Regions, a joint meeting of the History of Geology Group and the Geological Curators Group. This event is held 16-17 July 2024 in Cambridge.
The meeting aims to explore aspects of geological discoveries in the polar regions from the 19th and 20th centuries. It is planned to arrange participation for both days or one day only. Participants will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation arrangements.
To sign up or find out more visit: https://www.geocurator.org/events/169-history-of-polar-geological-exploration
Registration is now open for the 13th European Bird Curators Meeting, October 2024, in Liverpool
The European Bird Curators Meetings aim to promote cooperation, dissemination of best practices and new techniques in the curation, management, and use of bird collections. Presenters in the scientific programme often include curators, collection managers, museum historians and ornithological researchers. These are friendly meetings and anyone with an interest is welcome to join us.
The meeting will include plenary and submitted presentations, discussion sessions, collections tour, conference dinner (optional – Tuesday 29th October) and field excursion (optional – Thursday 31st October).
Please follow the ‘Tickets available here’ link from the event webpage to register. They have single day registration options and have kept costs as low as possible to encourage attendance by local natural history curators.
If you have any questions, please email vertebratezoology@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk.
Where to Visit
William Robinson: The Wild Gardener
Last month, the RHS collections team launched a new exhibition in the Old Laboratory at RHS Garden Wisley. It explores the legacy of William Robinson – one of the British Isles’ most influential horticulturalists, an early pioneer of the ‘wild garden’ so prevalent in modern garden designs. This exhibition includes paintings from the RHS’s herbarium and runs from 16 May 2024 – 25 August 2024. No booking is required but you can find out more via the link: https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/libraries-at-rhs/articles/william-robinson
Tanyptera Trust Events
There are several Recording Days and Field Workshops planned for June which you can browse here: https://www.northwestinvertebrates.org.uk/events/ .
Ocean Drifters
Experience a host of giant inflatable jellyfish and corals from artists Designs in Air, in this fun interactive exhibition ‘Ocean Drifters’ running until Saturday 7 September at Gallery Oldham.
One Seven Five: an Incomplete History of Oldham in 175 objects
This year is the 175th anniversary of the founding of Oldham Borough. Gallery Oldham’s exhibition features local stories from across the collections. From historical microscopes to contemporary taxidermy and a Fossil Forest to curious exotic plant species. This temporary exhibition runs until 11 January 2025.
Birds of Bolton
Bolton Museum will be opening their summer exhibition Birds of Bolton from 29 June – 3 November 2024.
This exhibition will be built around a recently acquired collection of works by a previous Keeper of Natural History at Bolton Museum called Eric Gorton. Eric was a naturalist, taxidermist, and artist and was also the driving force behind building the museums significant bird skins collection.
This family-focused exhibition will encourage our visitors to look closer at local wildlife through the lens of art and the museum’s collection, encouraging bird watching and recording, and field sketching. Exploring locations and habitats depicted in Eric’s illustrations, we will look at bird life in gardens, around reservoirs, and by the coast – not a habitat often associated with Bolton, but Eric was fond of seabirds and waders! The museum is open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm. Admission is free.
Bees: A Story Of Survival
Immerse yourself in an exhibition that brings together art and science to explore one of nature’s most incredible creatures – the bee.
This exhibition is a story of 120 million years of adaptation and survival. Journey into the fascinating world of bees in ways that have never been experienced before. A soundscape connects you to a live beehive, constantly changing in response to the activity of the colony. Discover the wonder of these tiny creatures through interactives, sculpture, projection and light.
Bees: A Story of Survival runs from 4 May 2024 to 5 May 2025 at World Museum and was designed and produced by Wolfgang Buttress Studio and developed in collaboration with National Museums Liverpool. To book and find out more visit: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/world-museum/exhibition/bees-story-of-survival#section–the-exhibition
What to Read
Have a read of You Can’t Be What You Can’t See: Queer Perspectives in Geoscience written by Gemma Laker, Palaeontology and Geobiology MScR Student at the University of Edinburgh. The blog raises awareness of the difficulties and challenges of those identifying as LGBTQ+ in Geoscience as well as a celebration of progress and initiatives being created.
From fascinating Narwhals to sustainable gallery changes – check out our latest NatSCA blogs: Unicorns and Baby Dolls: Narwhal Specimens in the Cole Museum, written by Amanda Callaghan, Curator/Director of the Cole Museum of Zoology and Making a Green Gallery – A Leeds Story by Sara Merritt, Audience Developer at Leeds Museums & Galleries.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out the interesting book by Pat Morris Taxidermy and the Country House: Where Natural History Meets Social History.
Natural History Museum London is looking for a Curatorial Assistant, Defra Lichens (Fixed Term; £28,346 per annum); a Postdoctoral Researcher, Defra Lichens (Fixed Term; £41,140 per annum) and a Research Assistant, Calleva – Human Origins (Fixed Term; £28,346 per annum) with all closing dates set as 16 June 2024.
There’s a paid internship at Waddesdon Manor as an Aviary Keeper (Fixed Term; £22,308) helping to manage the public bird collection held at Waddesdon. Find out more about the role here. If you are interested in taking part in their 2024/25 internship programme, please send in your application to pathways@waddesdon.org.uk by the closing date 16 June 2024.
Before You Go…
If you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest please drop an email to blog@natsca.org. Similarly, if you have something to say about a current topic, or perhaps you want to tell us what you’ve been working on, we welcome new blog articles so please drop Jen an email if you have anything you would like to submit.
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