Celebrate 10 years with our award-winning archaeological archive
16 January - 23 March 2012
The Museum of London’s Archaeological Archive and Research Centre (LAARC) celebrates 10 years with a series of hands-on events at the Museum of London from January 16 to 23 March 2012.
Last year, the LAARC won the prestigious Museums and Heritage award ‘Best Educational Initiative’ for the Visitor Inclusion Project. This year it’s back…and it’s bigger and better than ever!
The LAARC opened in 2002 with the aim of making London’s archaeology accessible to all. The archive stores artefacts and records from over 7,500 sites that have been excavated in London. Finds from Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, the Roman amphitheatre, Nonsuch Palace and Heathrow’s Terminal 5, are just some of the items cared for by the LAARC and its numerous volunteers.
The Visitor Inclusion Project is returning to the Museum of London from January and will be encouraging visitors to discover more about London’s archaeological heritage, whilst helping the LAARC to care for the objects in its collections. Those taking part will meet experts from conservators to osteologists at ‘Archaeology Exposed’ and ‘Hands-On Archaeology’ sessions. This is a rare opportunity to handle real artefacts and learn how to identify, sort and store items from the archive.
Follow the progress of the project via a blog series on the Museum’s blog site: http://www.mymuseumoflondon.org.uk/blogs/blog/category/laarc/laarc-vip/.
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Notes to Editors
1. For more information or images, please contact Nicola Kalimeris nkalimeris@museumoflondon.org.uk 020 7814 5511.
2. Museum of London, Museum of London Docklands and Museum of London Archaeology seek to inspire a passion for London. The Museums are open daily 10am – 6pm and are FREE to all.
3. The London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre (LAARC) is based at Mortimer Wheeler House in Hackney and is the repository for all archaeology excavated in London. It is the largest archaeological archive in Europe and a resource of international significance. To search for information about sites or projects and their archives see the LAARC online Catalogue.
4. Explore the Museum of London with collections online - home to over 10,000 objects with more being added.
5. The Visitor Inclusion Programme is funded by Renaissance London, part of the Renaissance in the Regions programme, a national investment in regional museums managed by Arts Council England.
6. VIP event details:
Archaeology Exposed: After the excavation
Join staff and volunteers from the Museum's Archaeological Archive for free drop-in interactive handling sessions taking place in the museum foyer and Archaeology in Action, from 10.00-16.00 from the 23 January to 16 March 2012.
• On Mondays you will have the chance to meet archaeological conservators and discover the techniques they use to preserve artefacts.
• On Tuesdays meet volunteers from the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology and find out how they use skeletal remains to understand past Londoners’ lives.
• On Fridays join our archivists who will reveal the importance of recording archaeological data and the wealth of information that site archives can reveal.
• On each of these days you can also join us in the Museum of London foyer where we will be showcasing various aspects of our work including artefacts, photos, tools of the trade and a chance to find out more about the archaeology from your bit of London.
Hands-On Archaeology
To create more space for future archives, the museum is revisiting its archaeology dug in the 1970s and improving the storage and access of these collections by repacking the objects more effectively and efficiently. Join staff & volunteers from the museum's archaeological archive and Visitor Inclusion Programme (LAARC VIP) and help contribute to the upkeep of our archaeological collections. In the hands-on archaeology workshop sessions you will have the opportunity to handle real pieces of pottery that were excavated during the 1970s, learn how the museum stores its archaeological collections and help improve the way these important artefacts are stored. These sessions are free, ticketed and led by archaeological collections officers, Adam Corsini and Glynn Davis, who run the Volunteer Inclusion Programme at the London Archaeological Archive & Research Centre (LAARC VIP). The events run every Monday, Tuesday and Friday from the 23 January to 16 March 2012.
