A RARE OPPORTUNITY was given to the public yesterday to witness exhibits being installed at the Barbados Museum.
The activity, which was the first of its kind in recent years, offered Barbadians the opportunity to see what happened behind the scenes in order to make exhibitions possible.
Speaking to the MIDWEEK NATION, marketing officer Christine Franklyn said that visitors who went to the museum for guided tours throughout the day were welcome to talk to the museum’s natural history, social history, art/art history curators about their work and also to learn about the care of the objects as the exhibits for the museum’s 80th anniversary were installed.
Franklyn indicated that many people did not realize that there was “a lot of work that has to go on before you get to the point of creating an exhibition”.
“It will be quite an eye-opener for those who come by today. From the questions I have been asked in the past, people very often wonder how we even get things inserted in the display cases because when they come, everything looks perfectly finished.
“People are often curious about how that happens. They are often curious about where the objects are stored before they are put into the cases or how the ones which aren’t on display are cared for,” said the marketing officer.
The museum’s natural history curator Kerron Hamblin, who installed a green turtle, sea coconuts, queen conch and other natural objects in showcases while being watched by a tour party, explained that he was privileged to demonstrate and educate the public on exhibitions.
“This is a good opportunity to see what curators do behind the scenes in relation to installing the exhibit and see that sometimes we have to make on-the-spot decisions in terms of the placement of objects or which object to put on display because sometimes when we go into the display case, things don’t always work out the way we plan,” said Hamblin.
Meanwhile, Eleanor Archer said she participated in the tour to take advantage of its “educational point of view”.
“[It is] not only for adults but also for young people to take the opportunity to come, see what’s going on and even pass on the information to their children and grandchildren,” said Archer. (AH)
