Compiled by Lily Nadine Wilkes. NatSCA Volunteer.
Welcome to the January 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 really keen to hear more about museum re-openings, exhibition launches, virtual conferences and webinars, and new and interesting online content. If you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest please drop an email to blog@natsca.org.
News from the Sector
Decolonising Natural Science Collections
Our blog has some fascinating videos from the Decolonising Natural Collections online conference. Each post includes a recording of the talk alongside the abstract and information about the author(s). Learn about how a taxidermied gorilla can tell us so much more in this presentation by Rebecca Machin. What words we use to represent Australian animals are challenged in this presentation by Jack Ashby. Decolonising the Powell-Cotton Museum is the topic of this presentation by Rachel Jennings.
NatSCA Conservation Twitter Conference
19th – 21st January 2021
NatSCA is hosting a Twitter conference promoting projects and stories relating to the conservation of natural history collections. The theme is as diverse as the field of natural history itself, from storage projects, new materials and applications, and tricky remedial projects. Follow all the action via #NatSCAConservation. This is a great opportunity to explore conservation work relating to the range of natural materials, this year we’re bringing it all, right to you, for free!
Where to Visit
Visit the Manchester Museum’s online exhibition, Beauty and the Beasts, for some fantastic images and information on insects. Have a look in cases and learn about what’s inside, write a letter to the insects about how they make you feel, and explore stunning artworks by Vladimir Timokhanov.
Listen to these wonderful podcasts collected by the Natural History Museum, bringing the museum into your home. You can learn things history class missed out, the weirder side of natural history and things to spark your curiosity.
What to Read
This amazing blog, Make Do and Mend, shows how repairs are done to entomology collections, including some wonderful images.
This fascinating blog about Delia Akeley and Osa Johnson’s Early 20th Century Ecomedia talks about how they shaped popular animal narratives in the Early 20th Century, and how their influence can still be seen in museums and wildlife media today.
This set of tweets about Garden History’s Forgotten Feminists is one to check out. The tweets also call for help to fill in gaps in the stories, if you know anything about the pioneering ‘lady gardeners’ who tried to build careers in horticulture, go help!
Job Vacancies
Powys County Council are looking for a Curator (Radnorshire). Closing date 17th January 2021.
Oxford University Museum of Natural History are looking for a Project Officer – Upper Thames Pleistocene Project. Closing date 27th January 2021.
Cardiff University are offering a ESRC PhD Research Project, Paths to decolonising bio-cultural curation. Closing date 3rd February 2021.
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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