Curatorial and Interpretation
Becks works with collections, supports volunteers and develops fresh, engaging ways to interpret heritage. She creates interactive opportunities that help wider audiences connect with collections.
Throughout her career, she has contributed to a range of exhibitions, from sourcing funding, project management to writing interpretation panels.
Offcomers
Becks co-curated this exhibition at Kirkgate Arts and Heritage with the organisation’s Heritage Group. The project explored the stories of people who had moved to the area, including their motivations and experiences. Becks also trained volunteers in collections care and writing for interpretation.
Feedback from Visitor:
“I was unaware of how many people from many places settled in this wonderful patch”
Exhibitions 2020
While managing Keswick Museum, Becks oversaw the Exhibitions 2020 project, redeveloping the museum’s main galleries to create more flexible, manageable spaces in which to showcase the collection. The project also demonstrated the team’s ability to adapt the museum and its exhibitions to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Favourite space:
“The area we created to tell the story of Robert Southey and The Story of the Three Bears. It featured artwork by a highly skilled volunteer, along with a puppet theatre and a storybook that brought the tale to life.”
Dive Into Derwentwater
The Dive into Derwentwater exhibition at Keswick Museum brought together stories of the lake from the past and present. Becks managed the project, working with staff and freelancers to develop a strong narrative and create an interactive gallery experience.
Favourite memory:
“A volunteer took me to a derelict barn to see an old boat. We painted it, added a picnic basket filled with crocheted food and renamed it in honour of Swallows and Amazons, making it the centrepiece of the exhibition, on minimal budget!”
My Home
Created for Keswick Museum’s Community Gallery, this exhibition showcased local people’s research into the history of their homes. Becks trained and supported community members throughout the research process, and used their findings as the basis for an exhibition to share their work.
Feedback from particpant:
"The course was so inspiring that I’ve now applied to Lancaster University to study their Regional and Local History PG Cert. I would never have even thought of this without doing the Keswick Museum My Home course."
Training for Volunteers
Becks delivers training for volunteers and community groups on topics including research skills, collections care, object handling and packing, threats to collections, and writing for interpretation.
Drawing on her curatorial experience, she brings practical insight gained from working with a diverse range of collections, from military and medical artefacts to a 200-year-old beam engine.
Favourite Memory:
“Working with the volunteer team at Crofton Beam Engines was a highlight. I delivered grant-application training, and together we went on to secure around £850,000 to conserve the historic beam engine. The volunteers also gained a much stronger understanding of the funding process and the confidence to find opportunities.”
War and Peace
This exhibition at Keswick Museum marked the centenary of the end of the First World War and explored how local communities adjusted to peacetime. It featured David Baxter’s artwork from during and after the war, alongside the story of Derwent Wood’s sculpted masks for injured servicemen.
Favourite memory:
“The day I discovered that the Thackray Museum had an original Derwent Wood mask that it could lend to the exhibition. We displayed it alone in a large case, creating a powerful focal point that encouraged visitors to concentrate on the object.”
