MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies graduate reflects on working as an Archive Curator

Rachel Moaby completed an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies in 2012 at the University of Leeds. She now works as an Archive Curator at Sunny Bank Mills in Leeds.

Rachel explains how studying for the MA helped her on her career path:

‘I completed my Masters in Art Gallery and Museum Studies having decided I wanted to change career and direction. The course was informative and interesting and I found that the practical elements and various trips to museums and galleries were vital in developing my knowledge and experiences.

‘The road to a new exciting career in museums has been, however, a challenging one, containing many elements of volunteer roles and internships. But now through perseverance I have secured a role as Archive Curator at Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

‘The Archive houses the unique history of Sunny Bank Mills over the last 180 years. Sunny Bank Mills was founded in Farsley in 1829, and the Archive housed in the Old Warping Shed represents a unique history of cloth from this time, through its humble beginnings and the ups and downs of the cloth and textile industry. Sunny Bank Mills has been owned by the Gaunt family since 1917 and, weaving cloth to recent times, it ceased manufacturing in 2008.

‘The archive collection was preserved and used by successive generations of designers at the mill as a working resource throughout the mill’s history. The Sunny Bank Mills Archive is a unique textile heritage and consists of fabric records in a number of formats including over 300 cloth and leather bound guard books containing thousands of textile cloth cuttings, lengths of fabric preserved on boards and range-ends. It also contains loom ticket items which allow designers to reproduce designs, wool dyeing recipe cards, leather bound ledgers and cash books, two looms and mending tables, photographs and memorabilia from past employees, a vast array of textile mill equipment and a library of mill related books and various mill ephemera.

‘This unique collection encapsulates all elements of mill life, not only containing the textiles of the trade, but also glimpsing into the individuals who worked here. The mill was a vital part of the community of Farsley through many generations, and the safeguarding of this heritage for the local community and future generations is an important goal of the Sunny Bank Mills Archive. The Archive is therefore in constant development to safeguard not only the bricks and mortar but also the fabric it produced and the life of the textile mill. I feel privileged to be working here.

‘I would highly recommend the MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies at Leeds to all those interested and curious in developing a career in museums and the arts. The MA gives you a good academic and practical grounding which opens you up to a vast array of professional possibilities.’

The Archive is open to the public free of charge the first Wednesday of every month 10am till Midday or by prior arrangement at any other time. The archive also supports school groups, artists and educational visits from various groups. Any enquires please contact the Archive on archive@sunnybankmills.co.uk

Images: Inside Sunny Bank Mills Archive; Archive Curator Rachel Moaby