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A full day of reflections, information and ideas about women and how they explored the past, punctuated by four specially created stories.

Since 2021, the team behind Beyond Notability, based at the Institute of Classical Studies at University of London and the University of Southampton in partnership with the Society of Antiquaries, has been working on recovering the names, lives, residences and (most importantly) work of women in the archives of the Society of Antiquaries and elsewhere. We present some of this work in a day seminar on Storytelling, Inclusivity and (Re)Presenting Women’s Work in Archaeology, History and Heritage.

Four performances commissioned from storyteller Vanessa Woolf will interpret some of our research around some key women, such as Charlotte Stopes, themes, like folklore, and places, such as Hadrian’s Wall. These performances will be followed by talks from and with academics, heritage professionals and creative practitioners on how they engage with the past and women’s work in these areas. The day considers storytelling through books, re-enactments, costume and interpretation in heritage sites and museums.

There will be presentations covering theatre and community, AI, the historic environment, museum displays, inclusive re-enactment and research-inspired art from Julia Pascal (Pascal Theatre Co.),  Catherine Clarke (Institute of Historical Research), Jo Badger (historical costume-maker), Pamela Franklin (Caribbean Social Forum),  Jennifer Wexler (English Heritage), Marie Basting (author), Emma Anderson and Bryony Renshaw (Silk Museum Macclesfield), Katy Drake and Kath van Uytrecht (Society of Antiquaries Artists-in-Residence). Amara Thornton and Katherine Harloe (Beyond Notability / Institute of Classical Studies) will facilitate discussion and reflect on the process needed to engage creatively with the stories and women found in the archives the team has examined.

Vanessa Woolf has worked with hundreds of corporate, faith, academic, heritage, festival, community & media partners all around the world. Her clients include the Southbank Centre, the Globe Theatre, Royal Academy of Arts, Kensington Palace, Royal College of Music, V&A Museum and UCL Medical School. She has appeared on national TV and radio talking about stories and storytelling and created storytelling podcasts for Guardian and Londonist. Her TEDx talk on ‘Finding Magic’ was recorded in Belfast Stormont Buildings. Her sell-out adult storytelling night “London Dreamtime” has been running for twelve years. www.londondreamtime.com/about

 Catherine Clarke is Professor and Director of the Centre for the History of People, Place and Community at the Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London, where she is also Director of the Victoria County History of England. She was previously Professor in English Literature at the University of Southampton, where she remains a Visiting Professor. Catherine’s staff page can be found at https://www.history.ac.uk/people/catherine-clarke

Julia Pascal is theatre director and playwright, and the first woman to direct at the National Theatre on the Southbank. Her work focuses on highlighting underrepresented voices, including women, refugees and immigrants. She holds a PhD from the University of York, and teaches on the Theatre MA at City University and for the study abroad programme at St Lawrence University. She is a Research Fellow at King’s College London. She founded the Pascal Theatre Company in 1983. Pascal Theatre Co. was awarded National Heritage Lottery funding for the community project, Women for Women. Her website is www.juliapascal.org; the Pascal Theatre Company’s website is www.pascal-theatre.com. Current Pascal Theatre Co. projects can be found at https://www.pascal-theatre.com/current-projects.

Kath Van Uytrecht and Katy Drake are currently artists-in-residence at the Society of Antiquaries of London. The title of their Residency Project is ‘Giving Voice’ and is a direct response to the Beyond Notability project. Inspired by this research, one of the works they have created is a screen print titled ‘Illuminating Knowledge’ which is currently hanging in the Society of Antiquaries Library.

Pamela Franklin is the Chair and Founder of the Caribbean Social Forum based in Woolwich Arsenal  –  a proactive community group that provides information, advice and guidance that affect the Caribbean Diaspora.   In 2022 the group co-created the first Caribbean Takeover with the National Maritime Museum that attracted a footfall of seven thousand people from across the UK and 2023 the day attracted fourteen thousand two hundred people.     In addition, Pamela became a Project Community Member of the African and Caribbean collections Research Hub project at the Horniman Museum.   In 2022 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Greenwich for her community work and in October 2023 the Forum won BBC Radio One Make a Difference Award.   Website for the Caribbean Social Forum: https://caribbeansocialfor.wixsite.com/caribbeansocialforum

Jennifer Wexler is Properties Historian at English Heritage, with responsibility for prehistoric sites in England. She previously worked at the British Museum, and was Project Curator for the World of Stonehenge exhibition (2021-22). Jennifer has held postdoctoral positions as Creative Economy Engagement Fellow at Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, and on the British Museum’s African Rock Art Images project and the Micropasts Project.

Marie Basting writes funny fiction for children inspired by fairytale and myth. She is a former Assistant Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and for several years taught Creative Writing and Children’s Literature at Manchester Met University. Her latest book, My Family and Other Romans, is a funny family caper full of excitement and heart. Her website is https://mariebasting.com/press/.

Emma Anderson is an independent heritage consultant and Director of Macclesfield Museums, which have outstanding industrial history and Ancient Egyptian collections.  She was formerly Director of The Atkinson Arts Centre in Southport, which also has Ancient Egyptian collections.  She has worked developing heritage and arts in the North West of England for most of her career.  She is passionate about the role of museums in connecting with audiences and telling stories of people’s lives.

Bryony Renshaw is Collections Officer at The Silk Museum, a charity preserving the industrial heritage of silk production for future generations, which also has an extensive collection from Ancient Egypt due to two local female travellers and historians.

Jo Badger runs Badger Historical Costumes where she makes reproduction clothing for men, women and children from the Saxon to Edwardian periods, using techniques and materials as close to the original as possible. Her clothing is used in Museums, education services, historic properties and theatres throughout the country. Her website is: https://www.historic-costumes.co.uk

Beyond Notability is a three-year research project is exploring the histories of women active in archaeology, history and heritage as revealed in the archives of the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Royal Archaeological Institute. It is writing a new history of archaeology, history, and heritage in 19th- and 20th-century Britain, which will reveal the extent of women’s contributions to the shaping, practice and institutionalisation of these fields. Professor Katherine Harloe (Institute of Classical Studies) is Principal Investigator and Dr Amara Thornton (Institute of Classical Studies) is one of the Co-Investigators on the project. The website is: https://beyondnotability.org

Join in the conversation online: #StorytellingWomen #IWD2024 #InternationalWomensDay #WomensHistoryMonth

Please find below the schedule for the day:

 

Time	What	Where	Who
10-10.30	Registration, Tea & Coffee	Council Room
10.30-10.40	Introduction/Housekeeping	Meeting Room	Amara Thornton
10.40-10.55	Women’s Voices STORY PERFORMANCE: Changing Times (Charlotte Stopes)		Vanessa Woolf
10.55-11.10	AI and Women on the Edge of the Archive		Catherine Clarke
11.10-11.25	19th century Bloomsbury Women who changed our lives.		Julia Pascal
11.25-11.35	Questions		Chair: Amara
11.35-11.50	Comfort Break
11.50-12.05	Representation & Re-enactment STORY PERFORMANCE: Five Stones for Alice (Alice Gomme)		Vanessa Woolf
12.05-12.20	Illuminating Knowledge		Katy Drake & Kath Van Uytrecht
12.20-12.35	“Walking Images”: Caribbean Social Forum		Pamela Franklin
12.35-12.45	Questions		Chair: Katherine Harloe
12.45-13.45	Lunch/Art Intervention	Council Room / Library
13.45-14.00	Interpreting Place STORY PERFORMANCE: Wall of Stories (Jessie Mothersole and Elizabeth Hodgson)	Meeting Room	Vanessa Woolf
14.00-14.15	Grimes Graves		Jennifer Wexler
14.15-14.30	Rome Play – reimagining history and myth for children in conversation		Marie Basting
14.30-14.40	Questions		Chair: Amara
14.40-14.55	Comfort Break
14.55-15.10	Show and Tell STORY PERFORMANCE: Island Song (Edith Blake)		Vanessa Woolf
15.10-15.25	Women’s Town: The MBs and Silk Museum, Macclesfield		Emma Anderson Bryony Renshaw
15.25-15.40	Historical Costumes and Story Telling		Jo Badger
15.40-15.50	Questions		Chair: Katherine
15.50-16.20	Conversation on creative process and research with Vanessa & Amara		Vanessa Woolf & Amara Thornton
16.20-16.30	Final Discussion / Wrap up		Chair: Katherine Harloe
16.30-17.30	Wine / soft drinks & Networking	Council Room / Library	All

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