Get Up, Get Dressed - Part Three

The Trainee Curators programme was set up to diversify the cultural workforce in Cornish museums and historical sites by offering more accessible opportunities to young people. In turn, diversifying the museums audiences and using their collections more widely.

In our new mini-blog-series, we share with you a behind the scenes look at what our Trainee Curators are getting up to now they are having to work from home, due to COVID-19. You can also keep up to date with them on their Twitter Page where they share regular updates and posts.

Next up is Sian Powell of Wheal Martyn Clay Works…

At the start of the third week of the UK lockdown, I settled into a good routine and developed my own strategies of separating home and work space. I am still working on a couple of projects, which I had been working on before the lockdown, but the sudden lack of deadlines for anything amidst the uncertainty was an initial challenge. I struggled in the first week to get used to the changes, not only of work, but of the wider world as a whole. Although worries surrounding the pandemic are not to be dismissed, I am now in a place where I am feeling excited about future projects for Wheal Martyn and how best to get digital content out there for people to enjoy from their homes.

The need for art, culture and entertainment is important now more than ever and I believe museums are the perfect places to share our expertise and collections in any way we can. This pandemic has made communication absolutely vital and museums must continue to communicate and engage with their audiences.

One thing helping me during these uncertain times is sticking to a normal working week, and keeping some semblance of a routine; making sure I still get up and get dressed as I would for a normal working day – no pyjamas unfortunately! And a great tip which I find helps is to make sure I put away my work laptop at the end of each day, and take it out of the case again in the morning.

I am lucky to be part of a supportive group of fellow trainees and we are regularly keeping in contact with one another and checking up on each other’s wellbeing. I look forward to the next 6 months of my internship and aim to learn as much as I can!

-Sian Powell

Trainee Curator, Wheal Martyn