London born artist and founder of the Mutoid Waste Company, Joe Rush, joined us to talk about his creative practice. He creates iconic mechanical & monumental sculptures and installations from discarded military and industrial scrap. He joined us from the fields of Worthy Farm as he was preparing ‘Carhenge’ made from 24 […]
‘Search & Learn’: Reinvigorating a local museum post-Covid
Image copyright: Ann Cook On Thursday 20th April we held our inaugural evening event, and were joined by Victoria Northwood, from Wells and Mendip Museum (W&MM). Victoria is an archivist and heritage professional, and the Project Manager for ‘Search and Learn’ – an amazing project funded through the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). […]
Letter from the Chair of the South West Fed
March 2023 Dear Members, Despite the recent dreary weather, spring is certainly in the air and the South West Fed is looking forward to seeing you at the exciting online talks and in-person events we have in the pipeline for 2023. We kicked off the year with three outstanding talks […]
Protecting Cultural Heritage and Decolonising our understanding of Ukraine
Dr Tetyana Filevska, the Creative Director of the Ukrainian Institute in Kyiv and heritage consultant and independent curator Maria Blyzinsky spoke with specific reference to the current war in Ukraine, highlighting issues surrounding the protection of cultural heritage in war and conflict. Tetyana explained how using the theoretical framework of decolonisation allows us to understand […]
Centering the Community in a cost-of-living crisis
On 23 February we heard from Melissa Maynard (London Museum of Water & Steam) and Eleanor Root (Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service) about the measures they are taking to support their local communities through a cost of living crisis. Eleanor told us about Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service’s partnership with […]
‘Curating Colonies and Conflicts – Mayflower 400: Legend and Legacy’
Image above: ‘Mayflower 400: Legend and Legacy’. Image copyright The Box Plymouth Fiona Pitt, Trustee of the South West Fed responds to Jo Loosemore’s talk The burgeoning of Black Lives Matter has prompted cultural institutions, including museums, to reflect on how they present colonial history. While this isn’t a new […]