A sixth form student spent the first week of July completing a work experience placement with us to support our exhibition The Reign as part of London Art Week 2024. Here’s what Eva had to say about her time at Burlington House.
The Placement
Before arriving at the Society of Antiquaries, I asked myself ‘What is it that I’m expecting when working at this placement?’. Well, I suppose I thought my main role would be shadowing staff members and volunteers and offering event support within the exhibition.
In fact, I had many more opportunities than that, including helping out at tours, attending meetings, and learning about handling special collections. It was really interesting for me to speak with a range of staff members about their day-to-day activities at the Society and the path that got them to Burlington House.
The team were all so welcoming and friendly, making me feel at home. Being able to observe the contemporary art created by artists-in-residence Dan Llywelyn Hall and Adam Dant, and learning about the building’s history were two highlights of my placement.
The Reign
The art displayed at The Reign was intriguing and unique and provided me with further knowledge about the history of the British monarchy (the Society has an important collection of Tudor royal portraits).
Visitors to the exhibition expressed admiration for the art on display, both the new works and the older portraits. One told me that they felt that the work was a ‘beautiful summary of the monarchy’ and a ‘fascinating interpretation of the original paintings’ which, in my opinion, accurately summarised The Reign. Because each work of art was created with such attention to detail, they were all distinctive from one another but still had a connection to the Tudor portraits on the walls that had originally inspired them.
The exhibition provided educational value, with each display accompanied by labels providing context to aid visitors’ understanding of the artwork. The presentation was visually appealing which made the experience really engaging.
Despite The Reign only running for a week, it attracted a large audience. Over 1,000 people visited, and they seemed to love what they saw.
What Next?
Overall, I really enjoyed my time at the Society of Antiquaries. The role allowed me to learn ‘on the job’, which was something I was looking for when searching for a placement experience. I wanted to discover more about the working atmosphere in museums and galleries and gain a better understanding of what working life entails, which I was able to do at Burlington House.
And while I’m still unclear about my future career, I can confidently say that my short time here has given me a new passion for the heritage sector.