MA Curating Collections and Heritage alumna Tamlyn Smithers discusses how her studies at Brighton inform her work as manager of Rustington Museum

My Background

My museums career began when I volunteered in the Learning Offices for Royal Pavilion & Museums (RPM) in 2008 around classroom teaching. I had studied BA (Hons) Glass & Ceramics (University of Sunderland 1998), worked in arts and crafts in London and gained a PGCE Art & Design (University of Brighton, 2002).

Sector funding was particularly abundant at this time, and I maximised this opportunity by saying yes to every role I was offered. I supported the education team to develop schools’ newsletters, school handling sessions, teacher training days and the permanent Egypt Galleries including interactives and children’s audio recordings.

I rapidly moved from volunteer to casual employee, Museums Teacher, then covering Families Education Officer. In this role I delivered a Private View for the Land Girls exhibition and supported the curator in delivering family events and gallery interactives for a World War Two Exhibition. I delivered a large-scale family event: Diwali: Festival of Light with the Hindu Women’s group, managing a large team of volunteers and staff.

A later freelance role I particularly enjoyed was Collections Use Review researcher, with an aim to develop audience access at RPM. At this stage in my broad experience, I found I had capacity to engage at depth under the premise of research reporting historic use and the creative scope for future recommendations.

Master’s degree

I went on to gain my MA Curating Collections & Heritage from Brighton. Joining in the first year of the course, the pandemic meant we extended our course deadline by six months, graduating in 2022.

The course both consolidated and extended my experience and knowledge within the sector. As a neurodiverse student, I found seminars and reading materials stimulating and an opportunity to hear from other voices in subject matter as well as my colleague students, university staff and guest presenters.

At the end of 2024 I was working as a Transition Coordinator in East Sussex College. From this position it was an appropriate step for me to apply for the role of Museum Manager for Rustington Museum in West Sussex. I had attended a few interviews in the interim since graduating and was fairly experienced at this key process.

I felt ready for this role, dedicated a week to prepare, thoroughly researching my presentation on audience development. This meant I enjoyed presenting and discussing my application and the role with the interview panel. I was offered the job the same day, gladly accepted and began in January 2025.

Current vantage

Rustington Museum is overseen by Rustington Parish Council who have been entirely supportive of my endeavours. I oversee all areas of the museum. Under broader social justice and de-colonisation, my priority is community access provision.

As a micro, village museum I manage our Museum Assistant, our volunteer staff support events and keep in-touch with neighbouring museums. I follow and attend the Sussex Museums Group meetings and training and stay up to date with the sector via Association of Independent Museums (AIM) and the Museums Association (MA).

As this role is permanent, my perspective is to framework short, mid and long-term objectives. My previous experience of short-term project work means I am motivated by the scope and the sense of building the next phase of the museum. This career stage allows for me to build my own practice alongside the development of Rustington Museum.

Temporary Gallery with At Home In Rustington Exhibition April – June 2025

BA (Hons) Art History and Visual Culture student Lei Appleyard reflects on working at Liberation Art Gallery

For my placement module, I had the amazing experience of working at Liberation Art Gallery, a gallery carefully and thoughtfully run by Caroline Pendray, a licensed art therapist with a passion for making art accessible to all. I collaborated closely with a dedicated team comprised of skilled art therapists, attentive stewards, and talented resident artists, all of whom created a supportive and creative atmosphere for me to work in. The gallery itself consists of three main spaces, a main floor gallery, a workshop/gallery space, and a therapy room situated in the attic. 

During my time at the gallery, I undertook a variety of administrative tasks including answering emails, taking phone calls, dealing with enquiries about sales, and chasing up buyer details. I also had the exciting opportunity to engage directly with patrons by selling artworks, which not only honed my sales skills but also deepened my appreciation for the artists’ work. I played a role in ensuring the smooth operation of the gallery, contributing to the overall visitor experience by maintaining a welcoming and informative environment.

After completing my required hours, I made the decision to continue my involvement at the gallery, drawn in by its inclusive and nurturing community. I felt truly valued by my colleagues, which motivated me to take on more responsibilities, including volunteering myself for extra days and taking over last minute workshops when it was needed of me. I also learned about the intricate process of curating shows, managing a submissions board, and creating a shortlist of artist proposals and works that resonated with the vision of each exhibition.

In addition, I became a part of the passionate team of workshop leaders, meaning I was able to experience some of the many workshops available at the gallery, most notably running the “Paint and Sip” workshops, during which people can come along to our lovely space, and have a few hours to relax with a glass of prosecco, a paintbrush, and their friends! I stepped into the role of leading painting workshops offered at Liberation, which not only allowed me to share my creativity with others but also let me explore my aspiration of becoming an art teacher. Running and leading these workshops was incredibly fulfilling for me, and it encouraged me to consider further opportunities for leading art education initiatives in the future.

Overall, my time at Liberation Art Gallery has been extremely rewarding, and I am eager to continue my journey there for as long as possible, nurturing my passion for art and teaching within such a vibrant community. The experience was a smooth one, with only a few bumps along the way, all ones that got quickly ironed out, and any questions I had being answered as soon as I would ask them. I have enjoyed this experience more than I can put into words, I am hopeful for what this gallery continues to bring me, as well as feeling extremely thankful for the opportunities given to me by both my course leader, Harriet, who set up the placement, and also to the wonderful Caroline, who ensured I never felt lost while learning my place at this amazing gallery.