Uncovering new stories

I joined Spalding Gentlemen’s Society as a Curatorial Associate in April 2026. I have a background in Anthropology and Museum Studies, and since moving to the UK in 2021 I’ve volunteered extensively across museums, working on collections, exhibitions and public programmes. Before joining SGS, I worked as a Collections Assistant at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry and most recently as a trainee at the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

I’m still early in my museum career, but through these experiences I’ve developed a particular interest in curation, collections care, and the history of collecting – especially how museums can work with communities and volunteers to tell more meaningful stories.

Discovering the collection

Before applying for this role, I’d never come across the Society, despite having worked and volunteered in museums for several years. I was immediately intrigued to learn that SGS is Britain’s oldest provincial learned society, and the country’s second-oldest museum after the Ashmolean!

The SGS Reimagined project will see the museum’s collections redisplayed for the first time in over a century. I’m excited to be part of a project that’s uncovering new stories, asking new questions of the collections and rethinking ways to share them with visitors.

Since joining, one of the things I’ve enjoyed most has been getting to know the collections and the Society’s history. The breadth of objects is fascinating in itself, spanning everything from natural history and art to manuscripts, textiles and objects from around the world. But what particularly interests me is how these collections came to the Society in the first place, and what they reveal about the people who collected them.

I’ve especially enjoyed beginning to research object provenance and learning more about the collectors, members, donors and bequests that have shaped the museum over the centuries. It’s an area of curatorial work I’ve been keen to develop, and this role has given me a really exciting opportunity to explore that.

Although I’ve only been with SGS since April, it hasn’t taken long to feel part of the project and the team. Everyone has been so welcoming, and it’s been really great getting to know everyone and working alongside a really knowledgeable and enthusiastic group of people.

Our areas of focus

My role touches lots of different aspects of the redisplay, from researching collections and supporting object selection to thinking about how visitors will experience the galleries and the stories we want to tell.

What has made these first few months especially enjoyable is the chance to get involved in the collaborative side of the redisplay. I’ve been researching some of the Society’s collections and their provenance, working with volunteers as they develop ideas for their displays, and collaborating with the team to think about gallery layouts and how these individual displays can come together to tell a coherent story across the galleries in preparation for reopening.

Alongside this, we’ve been discussing object selection as a team, balancing the stories we want to tell with the practical considerations of conservation and display. We’ve also been mapping key themes that we want the redisplay to explore, making sure we’re representing the breadth of the collections and the stories they hold.

Looking ahead

Over the coming months, we’ll be moving into an exciting new phase of the project. Our volunteers will be pitching their display ideas and object selections before we begin experimenting with gallery layouts. We’ll be holding research and interpretation workshops, where we’ll explore different approaches to interpretation and develop/refine the stories each display will tell.

We’re also planning a visit to museums in Cambridge with volunteers and staff to explore different approaches to display and interpretation, and to gather inspiration for our own redisplay. I’m really looking forward to seeing everything come together over the coming months and seeing all of the hard work begin to take shape!

By Maria Marquez, Curatorial Associate

• Spalding Gentlemen’s Society has been awarded £45,880 from Art Fund, the national charity for museums and galleries, for the first large-scale redisplay of its collections in more than a century. The ambitious ‘Museum Reimagined’ project will bring fresh and diverse perspectives to Spalding Gentlemen Society’s museum, library and archives. Click here to find out more.