Curator at Work: Secrets & Stories from the Collections

Curator at Work: Secrets & Stories from the Collections is back at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery on Tuesday 10 November, with a second session following on Thursday 10 December. Both start at 11:00. It's a drop-in format, so you don't need to book a slot — you just turn up and hang out while the curators work.

If you've ever wondered what actually happens behind the scenes of a museum, this is it. Instead of a polished tour, you get to see the curators in the galleries as they go about their day. You can watch them working with the collections, ask about what they're doing, and hear the stories that don't always make it onto the wall labels. It's a chance to get a proper look at the objects, the current projects they're tackling, and the exhibitions they're putting together.

For these sessions, you'll be meeting curators from Brighton & Hove Museums, including Dan Robertson, Curator of Local History & Archaeology, and Portia Tremlett, who works with the World Art collection. Between them, they cover a huge range of material, from the city's own history and archaeology to art from around the world. The museum holds more than 10,000 postcards, too, so there's plenty to dig into.

This is part of a wider series that runs across all the Brighton & Hove Museums sites, not just the main gallery. The others include Hove Museum of Creativity, Preston Manor & Gardens, the Booth Museum of Natural History, and the Royal Pavilion & Garden. Each one brings its own collection to the table, so if you're into the local history side, the natural history, or the art, there's a session for you. Admission to the museum is £10.50, and the curator sessions themselves are free with that entry.