Digital Engagement: Reminiscence Boxes and Art in the City

Hi, my name is Claire and I’m doing a Kickstart placement with Museums and Galleries Edinburgh. I’m working as the Digital Outreach Assistant and I’m part of the Curatorial and Engagement team. The role is a great opportunity to learn more about working within the museum sector, and to create new digital resources that people can use to engage with Museums and Galleries Edinburgh remotely.

One of the main projects that I’m working on is creating digital resources based on Museums and Galleries Edinburgh’s reminiscence boxes. These boxes are aimed at older adults and contain a variety of items that act as a stimulus for discussion and reflection. The boxes contain objects on a variety of themes, including war time Edinburgh, leisure and going out. So this project is a great opportunity to learn more about the objects within Museums and Galleries Edinburgh’s collections and engaging with audiences digitally. I’m working on creating resources such as booklets, videos and social media videos as well. I’m looking forward to learning all about the different objects and discussing them with different community groups.

Throughout my placement, I’m also working as part of The Art in the City project. Art in the City supports people living with dementia and their careers to visit art galleries and museums every month. Throughout the pandemic, Art in the City has consisted of online art discussions based on a different theme every month, it’s a great opportunity to experience the city Art Center’s collections from home. In September, I’m going to be speaking about paintings from the City Art Center related to George IV visit to Edinburgh in August 1822. I’ve really enjoyed researching the visit and I’m looking forward to discussing it with the participants in the next Art in the City session. During my kickstart placement, I’m also working with the Inclusion group, the Digital and Social Media team, and Learning and Engagement framework. So working as part of these teams is a great opportunity to develop my skills and knowledge of the museum sector in a wide variety of areas. I’m also looking forward to attending training sessions and conferences.

I’m going to be writing all about my kickstart placement in a series of blog posts for the Museums and Galleries Edinburgh’s website. The first of these blog posts is live on the website now. I’m really pleased to have the opportunity to work on a variety of projects throughout my placement and I’m gaining new skills and experience which will be really beneficial for my career.