Emily Pugh is a Citizens project intern working with Guildford Museum. Her interest in museums and exhibitions developed at a young age and has led her to complete an MA in Public History at Royal Holloway. She is passionate about how we communicate the past through museums and hopes to pursue a career in this field. In this post Emily is interviewed by her fellow Citizens project intern, Abbie Evans.
Hi Emily, can you tell us about the exhibition you are helping Guildford Museum with?
Hello, yes of course! I am helping Guildford Museum to research an exhibition on the student sit-in at the Guildford school of Art in 1968. This began on the 5th of June 1968, when the students’ union resigned to protest poor teaching quality and a lack of resources. The students occupied the school until the 29th of July and this eight week sit in was the longest ever at a UK student institution. It’s a fascinating story, which shows the resilience, bravery and passion of those involved.
Why do you think this is an important story to share today?
It’s important that we create an exhibition to tell the story of the student sit in as it has directly influenced how students can influence their own education today. Students are now routinely on the boards of educational establishments and have a chance to feed into their own education. Student protests are still ongoing today, and it’s great for those protesting today to hear about others who did so in the past. Plus, it’s incredibly interesting, and there is nothing currently at the museum about it!
Can you walk us through the step-by-step stages that you have been through to get to where you are today?
So far, the project is in very early days. We are looking at material for the exhibition, such as photographs and oral history interviews with those involved, and I am currently researching contextual information about the other student protests and sit ins during the 1960s, and about student protests today. The 1960s was a period where student activism was at its peak, so we want to include information about this to show the environment in which the Guildford sit in took place.
Looking ahead, what are you hoping to produce with this information?
This research will form the basis of an exhibition at Guildford Museum, where we are hoping to contextualise the sit in with previous and current student campaigning. The exhibition will also hopefully go on to be displayed at UCA Farnham, which Guildford School of Art merged with in 1969.
And when can we hope to see this by?
The exhibition will be opening on the 20th of May 2018, just before half term.
Who will this exhibition be aimed at?
Everyone really! We are hoping that this museum will speak to a wide variety of audiences, but in particular this is aimed at students and young people, and hopefully will encourage them to think about how they can influence their own education. We shall have a part of the exhibition where we encourage visitors to create their own protest banners about what they are passionate about, and then display them to other visitors.
Will there be a digital element to the exhibition?
We are planning to accompany the physical exhibition with an online exhibition, and are also planning to include digital elements, such as videos and audios in the physical exhibition. I believe it’s incredibly important for museums to introduce these digital elements, especially online, as it means that the content is more accessible to wider audiences, who might otherwise never get to see the material.
Thanks for your time Emily. Is there anything people can look up now if they are interested in the Guildford sit in?
If you would like to find out more information on the protest, check out this BBC short film and please do come and see the exhibition when it opens!
Interviewed by Abbie Evans
Abbie Evans is a Citizens Project / SEMDP intern and History student at Royal Holloway, University of London.
