It’s been a long and busy academic year (as you can probably tell from my lack of consistent blog posts). But I have exciting news! I’m pursuing three internships this summer as part of my degree. Let me tell you a bit about where I’ll be!
Nevis
Bath Springs, Nevis Oral History Project
- Creating an oral history toolkit to complement archaeological excavations at Bath Springs, Nevis
- Developing oral history materials and receiving University of Western Ontario ethics board approval
- Forming community connections
- Conducting interviews in Nevis
Italy
Gabii Project
- Processing finds as part of the Gabii Legacy Data Project, aiming to document the 1990s excavations on site in partnership with the Soprintendenza
- Sorting, drawing, analysing, and dating bulk and small finds
- Conducting use-wear analysis
- Working with various reference volumes and digital assets
Malta
Malta Maritime Museum (Heritage Malta)
- Assisting in the development of a temporary exhibition showcasing the Malta Drydocks collection and new research conducted by Heritage Malta on the ex-Drydocks workers
- Curation using digitised archival material, current technologies, 3D models, oral histories, and a limited amount of artefacts
With each of these countries having an average summer temperature of 31°, it’s definitely going to be a hot one, but I’m not going to let that get in the way of my excitement. I’m thrilled to be meeting so many amazing people and learning from them during my time in each of these places.
The work I’ll be doing is right in line with my passion for public archaeology, which is something I’ve been deeply interested in for years. I’m especially excited to delve more into oral history, which is still a relatively new area for me. Moreso, I’ll be doing that whilst in Nevis, so I’ll get the chance to learn more about Caribbean history. This is also particularly interesting for me considering that Nevis is a former British colony—I’m hoping I’ll have some time to do some research on this to complement my work on Malta.
I’ll be returning to the Gabii Project for the third time and the Legacy Data Project for the second time—I can’t wait to get back into Roman archaeology! Outside of my work with the Department of Classical Studies’ artefact collection (stay tuned for a blog post on that!), I haven’t had many opportunities to think about Roman archaeology during my MA in Public History. Very excited to be able to put my BA Hons. in Classics to work once again.
But that’s not all! I’ll also be interning at the Malta Maritime Museum on an exhibit curation project. I have anecdotal experience in curation from my times at Clarington Museums & Archives, Dominican University College, and the Museum of Classical Antiquities. However, working on a project like this, that is so near and dear to my heart, is an unparalleled opportunity. My family has a long-standing connection with the Malta Drydocks, with many members being employed as mechanics and drivers for generations. It’s truly an honour to be a part of this project.
This summer isn’t all work though. I’ll be taking a week off in August to conduct some archival research in the UK at the Middle East Centre Archives at St. Anthony’s College, University of Oxford and in various archives in London. Okay, maybe that technically counts as work… admittedly, I’m not good at taking time off.
I want to give a big thanks to my partner, Kealey Kennedy, for joining me this summer and encouraging me every step of the way, and also to my family for their endless stream of support. Thank you also to the Department of History at the University of Western Ontario for providing me with funding to pursue these internships and my research.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for updates on my adventures!
