Tagged: Hodson Shop Collection
Some Sad News: Council Cuts
I received some sad news earlier this week. Walsall Council have announced a package of cuts in spending that will result in the closure of Walsall Museum. Whilst the cuts are currently the subject of public consultation (readers living in Walsall can find details of consultation events here), it is fair to say that things don’t look good. This blog isn’t the place for a detailed explanation of the council’s decisions – for those I point you towards The Express and Star.
It is unlikely that closure will have an adverse effect on my research but it does mean that hardworking, knowledgeable and dedicated staff are now facing the threat of redundancy. It also means that the Hodson Shop Collection (and the museum’s other collections) will retreat even further away from public view. Finally, there’s the fact that the people of Walsall will be losing a place dedicated to their history.
Everything about the situation is sad and my thoughts go out to everyone affected by the announcement. If anything, the news has strengthened my resolve to shout about the Hodson Shop Collection from the rooftops. The collection has so many stories to tell and I’m going to strive to make sure that they are heard.
Jenxxx
The Hodson Shop Project is One! A Year in Numbers
It has been one year since the Hodson Shop Project officially began. I realised this whilst flicking through some photographs I’d taken on Instagram. For some reason, I tend to take photographs of whatever I’m working on and one year ago I was opening my brand new notebook , carefully drawing a cover page (see picture below) and beginning to make notes on Arjun Appadurai’s The Social Life of Things.
What followed has been an eventful and enjoyable year, a year in which:
- 20,000 words have been written
- 60 items from the Hodson Shop Collection have been analysed
- 8 members of museum staff (past and present) have been interviewed
- 7 hours 30 minutes of audio have been recorded
- 3 Moleskine notebooks have been filled
- 5 lever arch files have been filled (an additional 2 have broken due to volume of contents)
- 57 books have been loaned
- 12 blog posts have been written
- 7 conferences/seminars/workshops have been attended
- 2 presentations have been delivered
- 2 abstracts for conference papers have been submitted
- 1 conference paper has been accepted
I’ve left that one until last as I am thrilled to announce that I will be delivering a paper entitled The Hodson Shop Project: Biographies Without Bodies at the upcoming Association of Dress Historians New Research Day, 15th November. I’ll post more details as and when they become available. It feels quite special that I received the news exactly one year on from starting my PhD studies!
A massive thank you to my supervisory team, everyone at Walsall Museum and Sheila B. Shreeve, MBE for all of their support over the past 12 months (and before). Here’s to the next 12 months! Oh, and thank you for reading!
Jenxxx
The Hodson Shop Project 