ITP Week 4 and 5 – UK Partner experiences!
As is the tradition, each year ITP participants spend 10 days in UK Partner Museums. It gives them a special opportunity to see the rest of the UK as well as time to meet new colleagues at these UK Partners namely: Glasgow Museums; Tyne and Wear Archives & Museums, Newcastle; Birmingham Museum Trust; Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives; Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology, Oxford; The Collection: Art & Archaeology in Lincolnshire and Manchester Museum, Manchester Art Gallery & Whitworth Art Gallery. These are some views from the participants at four of our partner Museums.
“Newcastle, North-East England: a new adventure to experience! In Newcastle I have started my new adventure by enjoying an internal building tour, learning about the building, especially its design and seeing behind the scene wonders. It was such a nice time with my ITP friends. We explored one of Newcastle Gates head’s most iconic buildings. Once I reached the top I have further opportunity to learn more about the structure as I walk across the 250 glass panels that make up its unique curved roof. Standing tall and admire the spectacular views across Newcastle Gates head Quayside and beyond – seeing the famous bridges like never before. In Newcastle, you can figure out the Britain’s urban heritage that is one of the main symbols of human evolution through history that reflects the capacity of man to overcome surrounding environment; it is listed in the 1987 ICOMOS Charter for the Conservation of Historic Urban Landscapes. All urban communities, whether they have developed gradually over time or have been created deliberately, are an expression of the diversity of societies throughout history. These areas embody the values of traditional urban cultures.” Shreen Amin, Egypt
“Hello Everyone, Greetings from Lincoln!
We are just about to meet friends and see the new established Lincoln museum and its facilities. Lincoln is a lovely place and we have wonderful house to stay with Marie and Ahmed. We are having excellent time here but it is cold!” Leyla Zoroglu, Turkey
“Hope you are doing well! We have been having a wonderful time in Manchester so far. The apartments are amazing! Thank you for arranging these for us to stay at. Sessions at Whitworth were amazing and we got to meet the bees! Today will be our second day of sessions at Manchester museums. We have a free weekend coming up, and Getrude and I are planning to travel to Liverpool. Barbara is heading to Edinburgh on Saturday morning.” Ruchira Verma, India
“August 15 is my kid’s birthday. Although I wish I was with them today, I feel no regret for being here. To be a Mum is to be a role model by improving yourself and keep working on it. Happy birthday Sara and Tayeb. I salute working women and men; working Mums and Dads. Best wishes all” Ikhlass Alyas Ali Alkrm, Sudan
“Hello everyone,
The ITP just added a new experience to my life!
This is my last day in Birmingham city where I’ve stayed with my colleagues Rashida, Noor and Saeed, in terms of the educational journey in a Partner Museum (Birmingham Museum).
Adam Jaffer, curator of World Cultures, arranged for us a number of interesting meetings and visits to experience Birmingham’s heritage. As a result, I had the opportunity to listen about the challenges that Birmingham’s museums are currently famous.
Apart from this, I would like to share with you my feelings about Birmingham’s people. I found almost charming the variety of people and the complex interaction between cultural, religious and ethnic beliefs.
Talking about Birmingham’s variety of people, here is the story of the day: in the morning we had a tour in the Birmingham history galleries and after that, we had an exciting tour in the ‘Balti Triangle'(Pakistani area of Birmingham). The guided tour, was in a ….TAXI!! You can’t imagine how much I enjoyed it!! After the “happy hour”, we tasted some S P I C Y Indian food and sweets. A short walk in the colorful market was the best way to say goodbye to Birmingham. SEE U SOON MY FRIENDS” Yolanda Theodoropoulou, Greece
“We’re on our way back from Manchester. We spent ten days in our partner museum; it was an amazing and fascinating visit. We spent a useful time discovering Manchester and its museums and galleries. We got a lot of experiences, knowledge and skills from this visit. Goodbye Manchester!” Sayed Abuelfadl Othman, Egypt
“On Tuesday afternoon, together with my Birmingham group, Yolanda, Saeed and Noor Khan and also Njeri, I went to visit the mansion with Adam Jaffer, Curator of World Culture, Birmingham Gallery and Art Gallery (BMAG). We viewed the lavish life of Sir Thomas Holte, fascinated by every small details of the interior especially the carved plaster ceiling décor of every room. Not to forget the food that was served at the dining table. I am sure that guests were totally fascinated and impressed with the effort done by the master of the house in portraying his fortune.
We spend time at the beautiful and well-maintained park outside the mansion. I left Aston Hall with a mixed feeling, still appreciating the beauty of the mansion and the park and on the other hand, wondering how one was blinded by his wealth and could reach to the extent of sacrificing his own son and daughter for it. How sad!” Rashidah Salim, Malaysia
