ITP trip to Glasgow for ICOM UK 2023 Conference
This week the ITP team have been in Glasgow to attend the ICOM UK 2023 Conference. We were thrilled to be joined by ITP fellow Cynthia Iroube, Chief Curator, National Commission for Museums and Monuments (Nigeria, ITP 2010). Cynthia is currently in the UK studying for a master’s degree in curating at the University of Essex, so was able to travel to Glasgow to join us for the conference.
George (ITP Coordinator), Cynthia (ITP fellow 2010) and Claire (ITP Manager) in Glasgow!
The theme of the conference was Addressing the legacies of colonialism nationally and internationally and day was filled with many interesting presentations and panel discussions. A talk entitled ‘Centering the Enslaved’ discussed the importance prioritising the perspectives of those who were enslaved or colonised in the practices of curation. Other sessions covered important topics such as colonial histories, decolonisation, climate change and political crises.
The day after the conference we had a chance to visit a couple of museums in Glasgow. The first was Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, which houses a huge range of collections including Scottish history, natural history, ancient Egypt, photography, contemporary art, world cultures, and more. There’s so much to see at Kelvingrove, but what perhaps caught my attention the most was the exhibition Coming into view: Eric Watt’s Photographs of Glasgow. Photographer Eric Watt has captured life in Glasgow from the 1950s to the 1990s with some beautiful photographs of everyday life in the city.
The main hall of Kelvingrove has an organ and daily recitals are performed to the visitors.
After Kelvingrove we travelled to The Burrell Collection. Last year, The Burrell reopened after a six-year redevelopment project and now has stunning, modern gallery spaces to house its collection. The collection includes medieval art, arms and armour, sculpture from ancient Egypt and China, Islamic art, textiles and ceramics, modern Scottish art and Impressionist works. There were lots of interactive displays, using technology such as projectors and touch screens to present objects in new and interesting ways.
It was great to catch up with a few ITP colleagues from during our visit to Glasgow, and thank you to Cynthia for joining us for the conference too!. The next group of ITP fellows to visit Glasgow this summer will have a great time visiting these wonderful museums.
On our final night in Glasgow we had dinner with Patricia Allan, Curator of World Cultures at Glasgow Museums and ITP representative for Glasgow!