Community Access Officer, Museum of London
By Lynda Agard
|
In November of 2004, I joined the Museum of London as the Community Access Officer.
|
Before coming to the Museum I worked as a project manager on a number of cultural and social issue-based initiatives.One year on, I have been given an enormous level of responsibility working on a number of high profiled projects including:
The Plant Culture Website project, which was in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The partnership worked with three South Asian community groups in London: the Coriander Club at Spitalfields Farm; SubCo Elderers Day Centre and the Shravika Satsang Mandal in order to collect their stories.
The Postcodes project, another website initiative, where adult learners focus on writing and taking photographs of what they feel is of local interest about the area where their live.
Roots to Reckoning: This exhibition will opened October 2005 at Museum of London. It features the photographic works of Charlie Phillips, Neil Kenlock and Armet Francis focusing on their personal experiences as African-Caribbean living and working in London since the early 1960s. Alongside this exhibition, I am developing a community-based project that will create a retrospective exhibition exploring and reflecting London's cultural and social diversity during the 60’s through to the 80’s that will cumulate in a community exhibition.
I am also working on events and study days at Museum of London, including:
The 100 Black Men of London’s Inter-Schools Black History Challenge designed to enhance the study of African-Caribbean experience in the Britain and Asian Art Week, with Sita Kumari - who will be working with young people and families to develop a story through dance.
It is truly an exciting time to work for the Museum of London, because of the changes that are about to take place with the success of obtaining the lottery bid.
I would like to echo the museum’s wishes “to employ a wide range of people in jobs as diverse as the team they are trying to build”. I believe with more people applying for jobs from diverse communities this will ensure that the wider communities continue to be heard at the Museum of London.