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curatorwithout.bsky.social
Curator Without Museum
@curatorwithout.bsky.social
350 followers 700 following 150 posts
After a few years as a Curator Without a Museum (a bit like a Minister Without Portfolio) I'm delighted to be back a Curator Within a Museum.
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curatorwithout.bsky.social
Spotted a calico cat which reminds us of our mouser. @pittriversmuseum.bsky.social #Caturday
May 31, 2025 at 1:01 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
A new potential talk subject was suggested to me at an art talk so the research begins... (love this bit)
Photo shows a hand holding a copy of Peter Ackroyd's Turner biography.
May 31, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Reposted by Curator Without Museum
garytravel.bsky.social
Haven’t been able to visit any sites recently but spotted this beautiful single rampart hillfort built by children on the beach at St-Jacut-de-la-Mer last month. Are we naturally inclined to build these structures ? Love the shell cobbled floor !! #HillfortsWednesday #IronAge
May 28, 2025 at 6:59 AM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
Spent yesterday in a good light, reading Donna Ashworth's To The Women and feeling the sun on my skin.
Photo shows a book open in the foreground. A poem called Find A Good Light is on the open page. In the background are a pair of legs in a hammock, a wall of a house, blue skies and a ray of sunlight cutting across the top right corner.
May 19, 2025 at 8:12 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
No idea what to post for #InternationalMuseumDay on "The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities." Thought of the encouraging banners in Columbia District, San Diego last year. "The future feels like a canvas to create" & "The future feels like a work of art." That's how to face the future
May 18, 2025 at 9:28 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
Attended the most intense and beautiful concert on Saturday. The Sacconi Quartet played at St Mary Le More as part of the Wallingford Chamber Music's 40th anniversary season. And what a stunning evening it was for it.
#Panufnik #Shostakovich #Beethoven
May 12, 2025 at 10:49 AM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
Resharing that time I spotted the Death Star in the British Museum's Troy exhibition.... #StarWarsDay #MayThe4th #Troy #DeathStar #KindOfATrojanHorse #NotReally #StarWarsInClassics
Photo shows white marble carved with small figures in classical draped outfits, most missing their heads. In the right side is the figure of a man in robes, again without his head. Above him is etched a circle with two line across the middle and a small circle in the top half. It looks like the death star.
May 4, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Reposted by Curator Without Museum
britishlibrary.bsky.social
A long time ago in a manuscript far, far away....

Happy #StarWarsDay! – #MayTheFourthBeWithYou, always.
An illumination from a Medieval Manuscript that shows a character bearing a striking resemblance to Yoda, a small green humanoid wearing an orange cloak. 📜 Royal 10 E IV, f. 30
May 4, 2025 at 10:19 AM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
Saw this poem on the tube last week. Made me think of my energetic bunch & the sheer joy of cycling when you're wee. This snap brought back the words. Such an inspiring final line.
@poetrysociety.bsky.social @artscouncilengland.bsky.social @britishcouncil.bsky.social @transportforlondon.bsky.social
May 1, 2025 at 7:04 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
My heritage highlights from a Parisian weekend (lucky me!)
1) Hearing the bells of Notre Dame peeling out
2) Twinkly lights on Notre Dame
3) & 4) 1912 La Coupole in Les Galeries Lafayette (who says shopping can't be a cultural experience?!)
April 30, 2025 at 8:32 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
Lovely evening at Dorchester Historical Society. It was so brilliant to be in the Guest House, right beside Dorchester Abbey. There were rays of sunshine cutting across the sky as I drove in. Beautiful.
#DorchesterAbbey #Dorchester #Oxfordshire
Photo in daytime framed by a willow tree, with caramel coloured tower and Abbey in the background, complete with stained glass windows. The building on the left has a white sign stating "Museum" hanging above the door. Photo at nightime framed by a willow tree, with caramel coloured tower and Abbey in the background, complete with stained glass windows. The building on the left has a white sign stating "Museum" hanging above the door.
April 23, 2025 at 9:01 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
One more Easter-themed post... we were face to face with Rabbit (1986) by Jeff Koons at the Ashmolean in 2019. Surely one of the most famous rabbits in contemporary art?!
@ashmoleanmuseum.bsky.social
#Easter #EasterBunny #EasterSunday #Rabbit #JeffKoons #Ashmolean #Art
Photo of a white walled art gallery. In the foreground is a white plinth with an enormous sculpture in the shape of a silver inflatable rabbit balloon. There are museum visitors around the room.
April 20, 2025 at 6:54 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
An Easter-y post for today. The Romanian Easter eggs we'd on loan at Bromley Museum. @hornimanmuseum.bsky.social collected them in 1950s.
Horniman Museum ran the amazing Object In Focus loan project, supplying a display case, cool artefact, help wth interpretation & marketing, all with great staff.
Photo of inside a glass case. There is a clear perspex stand with 4 layers, each holding a dozen colourfully de orate eggs. In the background can be seen a black and white chequered floor and wooden panelling on the wall.
April 20, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Curator Without Museum
drnwillburger.bsky.social
Easter bunny resting 🐰🐰

A #Roman samian ware bowl depicting a rabbit eating dandelion.

Found in Eschenz/Switzerland.

Photo: AATG, Daniel Steiner
Close-up detail of a Samian ware pottery vessel showing a raised relief of a rabbit or hare crouched in profile, facing left. The animal appears to be nibbling on a dandelion, with its long ears upright and front paws extended. The reddish-brown surface of the pottery is smooth and glossy, with a central vertical crack running through the image. Decorative arches and floral motifs frame the scene.
April 19, 2025 at 7:26 AM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
Happy 144th birthday to the Natural History Museum. One of my favourite facts about its collection is that it includes Sir John Lubbock (inventor of the Bank Holiday!)'s pet wasp! Lubbock can be seen speaking in this 1905 photo of the unveiling of their infamous diplodocus.
@nhm-london.bsky.social
Image shows black and white photo of the hall in the Natural Histiry Museum. All high ceilings, pillars, arches and windows. Lots of men in black tail coats are standing around a cast of a diplodocus skeketon. One man is standing on the far side of the dinosaur model plinth to address the crowd.
April 18, 2025 at 9:15 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
How brilliant. As part of the Easter Activity Adventure trail, helping to save and recreate Basildon Park in the style of the Iliffes, you got to curate your own artwork display. Loved it. @nationaltrust.org.uk
#BasildonPark #NationalTrust #EasterTrail #ArtLover #ArtOutdoors #Spring #April
Photo shows green expanse with blue skies in the background. In the middle ground is a big tree. In the foreground is an easel with a blackboard covered in pegs. There are 6 replica art works (including Van Gogh's starry night and sunflowers and a Monet's lillies) hanging on the pegs.
April 18, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by Curator Without Museum
poorlycatdraw.bsky.social
how to draw a medieval cat in two easy steps
a simple tutorial on how to draw a medieval cat. step 1 shows a basic “normal cat" with no details. step 2 shows the same cat but with a "human face" added, featuring a straight mouth and serious eyes. the final drawing combines both elements — a cat with a human-like face, surrounded by sparkles ✨
April 9, 2025 at 5:05 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
Absolutely delighted I got tickets to see Mary Beard in Oxford later this year. Cannot wait.
Images shows Mary Beard in a teal trench coat with her hands on her hips, standing in front of the Pathenon. The text states "the secret histories of ancient Rome with Mary Beard".
April 17, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Curator Without Museum
wittspat.bsky.social
For #MosaicMonday, one of the most personable crabs imaginable. He was in a delightful marine environment, probably around a lost figure of Neptune, under what is now Gloucester House in Dyer Street, Cirencester.
#AncientBlueSky 🏺
A coloured engraving of a detail from a mosaic showing a crab set diagonally with claws pointing towards upper right. On the body between the claws are two features like eyes, while the curved lines of tesserae on the body make it look as if the crab is smiling, with the 'mouth' left uncoloured.
April 14, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Reposted by Curator Without Museum
davidhendy.bsky.social
Come on Britain.

Be more like Germany.
April 16, 2025 at 5:52 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
"What day was it a billion minutes ago?" Gotta love train conversations. (A day in AD100 for anyone wondering the answer)
Photo out a train window of a red brick wall, house roofs and blue sky. Photo out a train window of a green field and trees.
April 9, 2025 at 3:11 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
Mallard Monday on a Museum Monday @railwaymuseum.bsky.social
#MuseumMonday #MallardMonday #Mallard #NationalRailwayMuseum
April 7, 2025 at 7:36 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
Look who turned up for my Two William Morrises talk tonight!!
Photo of woman with short dark hair and glasses in green and orange jumpsuit. She stands at the bottom of a set of stairs, beside a cardboard cutout of Hugh Bonneville. They are having a selfie!
April 3, 2025 at 9:11 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
This cartoon tickles me so much! #EnglishLitGeekJokes
Image shows a cartoon with a grey castle in the background. 3 men in the parapets are shouting down: "boom! Boom!", "bang!!" And "pow, pow, pow!". Two soldiers in the foreground discuss "sir, we have reason to believe that our adversaries actually have no weapons whatsoever". The title at the bottom in yellow states: "the fall of the onomatopoeia empire".
April 3, 2025 at 8:51 PM
curatorwithout.bsky.social
For April Fool's Day my absolute favourite fake in museums is the Peckham Rock Banksy cheekily installed in the galleries at the British Museum, even with it's own label & accession no. It's brilliant that it now legitimately gets includes in exhibitions! This was the piece in Ian Hislop's I Object.
Photo of a museum case. There is a label at the base and a photo of the artefact in its original placement. Above is the fake bit of rock art with a figure pushing a shopping trolley.
April 1, 2025 at 12:58 PM