Museums and Place-making
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2019-07-03

From a museum’s perspective, we are often only considered as a dusty archive, an end recipient, keepers of the records in boxes and files, responsible for their maintenance and safeguarding.  But we are often the first and main point of contact and engagement with our local communities… who come to ask questions, learn, research and volunteer – to be actively involved in promoting and advocating the important role of heritage in our cities, towns and villages. However, in the planning process we are often excluded or not involved actively at the start of the process. Contractors undertaking “public engagement” during fieldwork forget we exist and work in isolation.  We pick up the pieces when the digging is over and the development is completed, creating new narratives from the boxes of finds and records left for us – but wouldn’t it be so much better to have been involved at the start? This talk will give some examples – the good and the bad, and showcase how the active involvement of museums can contribute to the place making process and sustaining community engagement and participation long after the dig is over….

David Dawson (Wiltshire Museum)