Holly Kunst

Biography

Holly is the Research Centre Manager for CVAR – The Centre of Visual Arts and Research – in the walled city of Nicosia, Cyprus. CVAR is a private museum and home to the Costas and Rita Severis collections which include paintings, antique costumes and memorabilia relating to the history of Cyprus. CVAR also houses a library and research centre. Holly leads a small team of permanent staff, volunteers and students, and is responsible for assisting researchers with sourcing information and managing CVAR’s physical collections.

Currently, Holly is leading on the digitization of CVAR’s collections, making them available on their website to improve visibility. This includes photography sessions, extensive re-cataloguing, and the development of a new database.

Holly has a varied professional background, with experience predominantly in the field of history and archaeology, and is looking forward to learning more about museum and collections management during the ITP. CVAR has a large collection, but many objects remain in storage, so Holly is specifically interested in exhibition design and finding inspiration for ways of showcasing lesser seen objects. Holly is also interested to discover alternative ways of sharing the museum’s collection to reach different audiences, particularly through the creative use of technology, to improve visitor experience.

At the British Museum

During her time at the British Museum, Holly was based in the Department of Greece and Rome and her UK partner placement was spent at Lincoln Museum and the University of Nottingham Museum.

Holly’s participation on the International Training Programme was generously supported by the De Laszlo & Thriplow Charitable Trust.