For the 10th year in a row, Ask a Curator Day (#AskACurator Day) is back and it is on next Wednesday, 16 September 2020.
Just to fill you in, Ask a Curator Day started way back in 2010 as an idea to use the power of Twitter to get the public to engage with with museum curators across the globe. The idea was that the public would be able to ask questions to the “keepers of cultural heritage” (aka curators) about the objects in their care and what it is they do with them. The event became an instant hit with museums around the world fielding questions from their audiences, and trended number one on Twitter worldwide.
Over the past decade the event has grown under the watchful eye of Mar Dixon and it’s grown from being something that just takes place on Twitter to also encompass Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
From Australia to Alaska, from France to New Zealand, and hundreds of other place around the globe, Ask a Curator has got organisations participating and answering questions from members of the public.
THE DATE
Firstly the date it’s all happening is 16 September 2020, so be sure to diary date it. It starts on 16th September wherever you are in the world. As Australia is ahead of other countries is is still going on by the time we get to the 17th – so sort of goes for a day and a bit for us, particularly if you are tweeting overseas organisations.
THE HASHTAG
No matter what social media outlet you choose (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter), when posting (or even just watching and following along), use the hashtag #AskACurator.
THE QUESTIONS
Some sample questions on the AskACurator page are:
– What does your typical day look like?
– What’s the weirdest object in your collection?
– What do you love about your job?
– What’s your favourite object?
– Have you ever broken an object What’s your most valuable object?
– What’s your oldest object?
– How have you done your job during the pandemic?
– If you could add any object to your collection, what would it be?
– Is your museum haunted?
– How do you get a job in a museum?
Honeslty the options are endless … but you get the idea. But honestly just ask whatever you wish.
CAN I PARTICIATE?
AskACurator Day is open to everyone – both to those doing the asking, and those at the archives – and the more the merrier for both. This is a truly global event.
MORE INFORMATION
If you are a organisation and you’re wanting to participate, CLICK HERE and scroll to the bottom, as there’s some more information about signing up, as well as a link to an AskACurator Day graphics pack, that you can use for on the day. How your institution gets involved is very much up to you. Many run Ask a Curator on Twitter asking their followers to send them questions, others prefer to participate on Facebook or Instagram.
And remember … 16 September 2020 … hashtag it #AskACurator
