MUSEUM TEXT
Nearly every project I work on involves the written (or spoken) word. From exhibition panels and labels to audio guides and guided tours, the starting point is often a piece of writing. I’ve been writing and editing museum text since 2004 and while I don’t pretend there’s one way of doing it, I’ve certainly learned what makes great text – and the pitfalls to avoid.
Either writing from scratch, or editing other people’s work, my role is to help heritage sites create text for public consumption that succinctly gets the message across to the visitor. And if it entertains or raises an eyebrow along the way, then even better.
‘A place to call home’
2023
This exhibition at The Exchange, Birmingham, used visitors’ feeback in a pilot exhibition to inform the copy I wrote for public display. When we asked people ‘what does a home need?’ we found roughly one half of the responses were physical things and the other half were intangible. So we ‘built’ some of these and wrote the accompanying copy accordingly.
Kilmartin Museum, Argyll
2023
Great exhibition text isn’t written in a vaccum, but in collaboration. To kickstart my writing of the text for Kilmartin’s museum redevelopment, I got my boots dirty with the curators. Understanding the sense of place was really important when it came to crafting the text for the galleries.
National Galleries of Scotland
2023-24
Using the institutional brand voice of the organisation, I facilitated some creative workshops where we developed NGS’ interpretive tone of voice - the character, style and personality that inspires the text they write with. Together, we wrote some great copy, which is now inspiring curators when they write labels and panels for public display.
Community exhibition editorial
2021
Working with a group of volunteers in Barrow, we created an exhibition of a historic photograph collection at The Dock Museum, celebrating the life of the Sankey family. I gave constructive criticism and helpful hints to the writing team, but the words were crafted locals, giving the display relevance and meaning.
Buxton Crescent Visitor Experience
Working with the client team at Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust and interpretation designer ImageMakers, I wrote the interpretive copy inside this brand new visitor experience. We developed a ‘voice’ for the experience that combines grandeur and elegance with intrigue and spiciness.
Audio and multimedia guides
2009 - ongoing
Digital handheld is a great medium for delivering interpretation, although I understand that not everyone likes taking in information through a screen headset. I’ve enjoyed writing the scripts for over 20 tours and guides - for museums and heritage sites, a factory tour and a lavender farm.
Other clients commissioning me as a writer and heritage text consultant include…
National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh – editing exhibition text for Theravada Buddhism and Uniquely Scottish Silver exhibitions (2023)
Bolton Museum and Art Gallery, Bolton – editing exhibition text for Why we ring by Marge Bradshaw (2023)
Kettering High Street Action Zone, Northamptonshire – writing text for high street interpretation panels (2022)
Signal Film & Media and The Dock Museum, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria – editing text for a volunteer-curated exhibition of images from the Sankey Family Photograph Archive (2021)
Levens Hall, Cumbria – audio guide (2021)
The Old Library, Liverpool – heritage interpretation text (2020-21)
Trowbridge Museum – text writing workshops and editorial for museum redevelopment (2019-20)
V&A Dundee – multimedia guide (2019)
Old Royal Naval College (Painted Hall), London – multimedia tour and online virutal tour (2019)
Preston Park Museum and Gardens, Stockton-on-Tees – creating a written interpretive style and tone of voice (2018)
Hajj: Memories of a Journey at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE – editing exhibition text (2018)
Jersey Lavender Farm – audio tour (2018)
Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland – editing all public interpretative text for this new art gallery (2017)
New Walk Museum, Leicester – editing text for an art exhibition with interactive elements (2017)
The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland – creating a written interpretive style guide for six new museums (2016-18)
Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum – text writing workshops and editorial for gallery redevelopment (2016)
World Rugby Museum, Rugby – audio tour (2016)
The Falkirk Wheel, West Lothian – in-boat audio tracks (2016)
St Mary's Church, Chalgrove, Oxfordshire – multimedia guide and family guide (2016)
Braemar Castle, Abderdeenshire – audio guide (2014)
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford – Egyptian gallery multimedia guide (2012)
Uppark, (NT), Sussex – multimedia guide (2013)
Hatfield Forest (NT), Essex – outdoor multimedia guide (2013)
The Novium, Chichester – writing a leaflet and map to the refurbished museum (2012)
Kensington Palace – copyediting and design work for a range of historical leaflets (2012)
National Gallery of Ireland – scripting for film tour of the gallery website during refurbishment (2011)
Petworth House (NT), Sussex – multimedia guide (2011)
National Mining Museum Scotland, Midlothian – audio guide (2011)
BBC Learning – curated exhibition about the history of the British high street for Hands on History (2010)
Stannah Stairlifts, Sussex – audio guide for factory tour (2010)
Lambeth Palace Library, London – audio guide for treasures exhibition (2010)
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford – museum audio guide (2009)
The British Museum – freelance writing and editing text for exhibitions and online projects (2009-18)
The British Museum, London – multimedia guide (2009)
Media Community Network – curated and wrote an exhibition about reggaeton (2008)
The British Museum, London – editing/writing interpretation copy for temporary exhibitions and permanent galleries (2006-09)
Vestry House Museum, London – edited exhibition text (2005)
Imperial War Museums – research assistant for The Holocaust Exhibition and Crimes against humanity (2003-05)