BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Tour of the recently re-opened University Museum of Zoology and an
  insider's guide to natural history museums - Jack Ashby (Museum of Zoolog
 y\, Cambridge)
DTSTART:20190121T130000Z
DTEND:20190121T140000Z
UID:TALK117694@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Laura Brassington
DESCRIPTION:The Cabinet of Natural History is invited to a private\, guide
 d tour of the recently re-opened University Museum of Zoology\, led by mys
 elf\, the Museum Manager. As well as sharing stories from the history of t
 he museum and highlights from its world-leading collection\, the session w
 ill explore some of the insights used to develop a critical eye for visiti
 ng natural history galleries elsewhere. By using examples from the Museum\
 , I will discuss the relationship between how natural history museums aim 
 (successfully) to inspire wonder in the natural world\, and the extent to 
 which museums accurately represent nature in their displays.\n\nExhibits w
 ill range from dodos to whales\, as well as giant wombat-relatives and fou
 r-tonne sloths. I will discuss the research of the Museum and seek to answ
 er questions\, such as the extent to which specimens in natural history mu
 seums are authentic and represent the species they are intended to exempli
 fy and what kinds of human biases have been introduced and why. I will arg
 ue that museums are a product of their own history and the societies in wh
 ich they are embedded.\n\nMuseums are not apolitical or value-free: if we 
 know what to look for\, we might spot evidence of speciesism\, the patriar
 chy and colonialism when we next visit a museum gallery.
LOCATION:University Museum of Zoology
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR