| Abstract |
In 2022 Amgueddfa Cymru (AC) acquired a unique collection relating to Reg Mickisch and George Walton. The couple – whose story features in Mike Parker’s 2019 book On the Red Hill – met in 1949 and were together until their deaths in 2011. This is the first significant personal LGBTQ+ collection at AC and reflects the couple’s domestic lives, including their civil partnership in 2006, the first in Machynlleth. For the first time this project communicates stories from the archive and, in doing so, [1] co-creates a vision for the collection’s value in varied ways, [2] diversifies museum practices in relation to LGBTQ+ history in/beyond Wales, and [3] makes a significant original theoretical contribution. RQ1: How can the archive support further understanding of - and make visible - changes in gay rights, lifecycles and ageing (1949-2011)? What other stories might it tell? RQ2: What intergenerational learning may be gleaned about intimate care arrangements in later life for LGBTQ+ people in past decades? RQ3: How might varied forms of storytelling be harnessed – in collaborative and intergenerational contexts - to communicate the visual complexity/richness of the archive? RQ4: How do findings from the above enquiry challenge normative museological practices for amplifying LGBTQ+ histories/representations, and wider public understanding of these in Wales? The student will employ a multi-method and deeply co-creative approach to project design and delivery. The work will be interdisciplinary, making a significant evidence-based contribution to debates about representation within museums, varied forms of storytelling, and the value of collaborative methodologies. |
