Kirsty Kernohan, PhD student in anthropology, had the opportunity to work as an intern at Dumfries Museum. This project was supported by the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities who allowed her to take time away from her PhD research to complete the internship.
During Kirsty's time at the museum she worked with the Dr Werner Kissling collections, which include ethnographic photographs taken across Scotland, particularly Eriskay and South Uist as well as Dr Kissling’s correspondence.
Kirsty recalls her experiences; "I worked to document newly acquired objects and photographs, updating the museum’s database. I also curated several online exhibitions of Dr Kissling’s photographs".
These online exhibition can be found at: http://www.futuremuseum.co.uk/collections/people/key-people/collectors-explorers/dr-werner-kissling.aspx
For Kirsty, the most rewarding part of the project was putting together a collaborative collection of reminiscences about Dr Kissling:
"I spoke to people who remembered Dr Kissling and we worked together to produce final written pieces. The result was a diverse collection of stories which will be kept in the museum for future research and community use".
Kirsty had not only a unique experience to further her educational experience while studying anthropology but also had the ability to develop skills working in the museum sector:
"Throughout this internship I was able to use the experiences from my PhD fieldwork in a new setting. I also developed new skills specific to working in a museum, with the support of the incredible staff in Dumfries."
