Museum of London Director Sharon Ament on why museum access is so important, the role of Museum of London in the climate crisis and the impact of BLM.

Portrait of a Londoner

As part of our current series, and to celebrate the reopening of the Museum of London on Wednesday 19th May, Muna speaks with the museum’s Director Sharon Ament. Sharon has had a varied career working in wildlife conservation, the Zoological Society, and the Natural History Museum. In her current role as Director of the Museum of London, Sharon is overseeing the construction of a new museum site in West Smithfield.

In this episode, we discuss:

• An introduction to Sharon and her career path (00:40)
• What it is about museums that Sharon loves so much, and some of her favourites (04:00)
• Why access to museums is important for everyone in the UK (06:24)
• The role of museums and the Museum of London in the climate crisis (10:24)
• The conversion of the General Market in Smithfield into the new Museum of London and what this will mean for the city (12:50)
• The impact of the Black Lives Matter movement and the removal of the statue of Robert Milligan from outside the Museum of London in 2020 (17:00)
• The staff that make up the Museum of London and their varied and multimedia programming (20:45)
• Sharon’s early life and upbringing (23:00)
• What Sharon loves about where she lives in East Dulwich (27:00)

If you want to find out more about Sharon, you can find her on Twitter at @SharonAment

This episode was produced by Sophie Monaghan-Coombs on Twitter at @sophiemc01

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We’d love to know, which museum are you most excited to visit with the new lockdown rules relaxed in the UK?

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