This week we are congratulating our Young Curator Harvey on completing his work placement here at the Museum of Cornish Life. Our Museum Assistant Imogen chats to Harvey about what he has achieved.

How did you get involved with the Museum of Cornish Life?

“I came to the museum on an 8-week work placement from Truro College. Over the weeks I found myself learning all sorts of brilliant things and appreciated it more each time I came back. I wanted to stay on for a bit longer and develop the skills I was learning. I really enjoyed the tasks that were given to me, I hadn’t considered the wide range of things that go on inside the museum. I felt like I wanted to bring on my new skills and also I thought the more experience I can get the better! This fitted well with the museum’s Young Curator programme so I kind of grew into being a Young Curator really.”

Has your experience with us here at the museum been useful for you?

“Yes! This experience has been useful in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve built my confidence particularly by talking to the public and taking posters around the town to local businesses. I also learnt that historical objects are affected by the change in temperature and humidity but can also adapt to the conditions in this museum. I had never thought about objects like this before so I found this really fascinating.”

What are some of your highlights?

“One of the things I found most interesting was the constantly changing gallery space with exhibitions and installations ranging from artists showing their work to students showcasing local archaeology. I had the opportunity to put together and show my own exhibition of photographs – “Then and Now”. Each pair of photographs shows different views of my local area, St Keverne. One set of photographs is from the late 19th to the early 20th century and the other set is from the mid to late 20th century. It was great to research the museum’s photographic collection and see how the places that are so familiar to me have changed over the years. There has been a huge change in village particularly in the village square.”

What would you say to other young people thinking about doing work experience?

“Being a young curator is enjoyable and interesting work. There was such a range of jobs to do such as taking reading of the temperature and humidity around the building to helping put together exhibitions. Having a wide range of jobs to do is a constructive way of helping you figure out what areas you wish to work in later in life. You also get lots of skills and experience which are relevant for the museum sector but are also so helpful for any industry. I feel like I can really contribute through teamwork, finishing tasks, and good planning and organisation in any job now.”

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