Meet the Museum, Tuesday 19 February 2013

Today the Youth Advisors had the opportunity to come and meet National Maritime Museum staff and find out more about what they do, how they got their roles here and what their experience and education was before. Youth Advisor Piarve tells us more...

MEET THE MUSEUM 2013 

The future is unexpected and you just never know where life will take you. One thing which has been constantly stressful to hear is 'think about your career' and 'what do you want to be', and as a young person the answer can sometimes be 'I don't know' or I am very interested in so and so but I don't think there are any jobs in it.

Today I met a wide range of people and careers which I did not imagine existed. I met a graphics designer who did graphic design from university level, graphic design as a first job and is now the graphics designer at the national maritime, but also met a lady, who did an African and Asia literature degree, started her career in media and did some journalism, yet has ended up working as a learning officer at the national maritime (what a mix of skills!). I also met a photographer who despite not attending uni, built a strong portfolio of work, did some freelancing and is now a full time photographer at the museum.

 

Louise Simkiss, Adult Learning Manager

I was amazed at how many jobs were available, from events management, to filming director to organic conservator and each individual showed true passion in their jobs.

The highlight of the day was being able to actually see 'behind the scenes' of a museum, which was nothing as I expected and I learnt that many personalities and talents are needed to form a museum. I also loved the drive, passion and ambition carried by the director as he took time from he's what seemed chaotic schedule to spend some time giving us an insight of he's role but also he's appreciation for the YAG.

I enjoyed the paper conservation part, I found it interesting how we can connect so many old pieces of history together in order to form a story. It also reminded me of the hard work and dedication it takes to unravel history. Elizabeth the paper conservative found the mixture of art and science in one job amazing.

Overall it was a good day and gave me some confidence about the future. I took away that: Whatever I do, I will still find a job which makes the best of me.

 

And Youth Advisors Terri and Tianna tell us their experience...

Today was very interesting and help us youth advisors develop our knowledge on what Jobs were actually like in the museum and it also helped us to think about whether in the future we may want to pursue a career in a museum department. Today was overall very and we hope to continue with days like this in the future round about every other month. Here's what we got up to....

Youth Advisors' Visit to Ansel Adams Exhibition

For their Silver Arts Award, the Youth Advisors visited the National Maritime Museum's Ansel Adams exhibition: Photography From the Mountains to the Sea. They wrote reviews of the exhibition and photographs they saw, which are shared below...

Youth Advisors at Ansel Adams: Photography From the Mountains to the Sea

Henry Bartlett

The Ansel Adams exhibition was a pleasant display of Ansel's best work, featuring his most mass scaled work of nature and water and landscapes.

Adam's B/W photography captures extraordinary details using water to make a brilliant effect as can be seen in the visually impressive 'mirror lake' which can really show the magnitude of nature and in turn the world.

The amount of breath taking work placed in one area really makes the exhibition a must see. However, I felt that some of his work was a little obscure sometimes.

Bethanie Tokenge

My favourite artwork in the exhibition is the Sundown in the Pacific, Carmel Highlands, 1946. One fact about this artwork is it is the Center Photography, University of Arizona. What I liked about it most was its simplicity. It showcased a peaceful happiness and silent environment. I would like to find out why this picture was taken and what was the photographer thinking at the time. There's nothing I don't like about this artwork. I would definitely recommend visiting this exhibition because the images portray a view most people wouldn't see/experience everyday. The images are unique and beautiful. The simplicity of the artwork I like, indicates something beautiful, doesn't need to be shocking. Its simplicity also reflects the mood you have in the exhibition - calm and relaxed.

Youth Advisory Group Meeting, Sunday 03 February 2013

Youth Advisor Nicole shares what we got upto in today's meeting...

'To begin with we introduced ourselves for those who weren't already familiar with each other and then played a game. Then we went to see the Ansel Adams exhibition and had to make notes on what exactly we thought of his photographs. Then we had to write a review of the exhibition and what we liked about it.

Going to see the Ansel Adams exhibition and observing his various photographs was the best part of today. They were really good.'

The Ansel Adams exhibition is on at National Maritime Museum until 28 April, showcasing a host of his photographs from the Mountains to the Sea. The Youth Advisors wrote reviews of the exhibiton, which will be shared on here. They are starting a Silver Arts Award which will run until October, learning creative skills and becoming arts leaders to run a summer school for other young people.

Our next workshop will be on Tuesday 19 February, when the Youth Advisors get to meet the Museum - visiting different departments, afternoon tea with the Director and learning more about National Maritime Museum behind the scenes

Youth Advisors visiting Ansel Adams exhibition

BBC2 Stargazing Live, Thursday 10 January 2013

The Youth Advisors had the opportunity to volunteer at a big National Maritime Museum event, Stargazing Live. The event ties in with the BBC2 programme, giving visitors the chance to explore what astronauts do, learn about the planets and take part in fun activities. Over 1000 visitors attended and Youth Advisors Charlotte, Thu, Davina, Shezara, Terri and Callum took part.

Youth Advisor, Terri, shares what we got up to...

10^th January was the BBC 2 stargazing,  this was a great project to be a part of. We were partnered with the Classroom Medics. We learnt what its like for a astronaut to train and to complete tests, there was a hand strength test & heart test. This is was all great fun and a great pleasure to be part off we enjoyed working with Sarah and Tom in the Classroom Medics.

However, we did get to go off and explore what was happening around the museum,  for example we did visit the Hydration Station and with this we learnt how astronauts go to the toilet while they're on the moon, did you know they use nappies?  Another bit we did visit was the face painting station, a couple of us got our faces done, (as you can see below in the pictures) Overall this was a great night to be a part off and I’m glad I took part.

We helped out Classroom Medics, learning the kinds of tests astronauts would have to do to be medically fit, including testing strength, heart rate and peripheral vision.

Classroom Medic's Sarah, showing the Youth Advisors how to use the BATAK wall to test your peripheral vision

Charlotte learning about double vision, which can affect astronauts

 

Youth Advisory Group Meeting, Sunday 06 January 2013

Youth Advisor Bryn shares what we did in today's meeting...

We started out by just going over takeover day; how it went, how we felt about it and that sort of thing. Overall, we all agreed that we thought the takeover day had been a big success. We then quickly went over what we might do in the coming year, including a possible summer program that would be run by us! Later on, we went over the characteristics that we thought a museum should have, and what defined a museum. Finally, we took a look at one of the museum's prized exhibits; the coat that Nelson wore when he was shot. 

We tried out some new games to explore what a museum is and what it does. We'll have the chance to explore this a bit more in the future...