- Angela Stienne
We are back! Introducing Mummy Stories 2023 edition
Hi everyone,
I'm Angela Stienne, and seven years ago I created Mummy Stories. I did not imagine it would still exist seven years later, or that the conversation on human remains in museums would become so polarised, but I am glad to have this platform still to provide a place to have ethical and engaged conversations on the ethics of the collection, retention, study and display of human remains. After a short break, and a long book (!), Mummy Stories is back thanks to community support. I have been updating the website behind the scenes to provide you with a greater experience. This means:
No photographs of human remains. This has been our policy for a few years now and I refer you back to the main page here as to why this is the case. Instead we have a much more streamlined aesthetic, thanks to a powerful line drawing illustration by artist and information specialist Caitlin Smits, who is also the artist behind our Mummy Stories logo.
Categories! The museum management geek in me has finally been working on categorising all the stories that Mummy Stories has been collecting. That's a wooping seventy stories / articles / blogs which are now easy to search and categorise.
alt text. The past couple years, some of you will have known me as the founder of The Lyme Museum, an inclusive museum on disability and chronic illness (which means I now run yet another website!). This year I have decided to learn more about making my projects inclusive from a digital perspective, with the idea that there are always more ways to be ethical and to share ethical practices, and that includes accessibility. So I am doing a professional certificate on UX Design and accessibility with Google and implementing my learning here. I hope it means that more of you can access Mummy Stories now. This is an ever evolving practice.
in the press: a whole lot of conversations on human remains in museums and a lot of tension. I'll write a little "seven years later" article soon but if we are not always engaging with the conversations online, I'm always paying attention and especially working out how Mummy Stories can help institutions communicate ethics better. interested? get in touch!
did I mention the book? yes yes, Mummy Stories became the foundation of a book on the history and ethics of the collecting and displaying of Egyptian mummified bodies in France and England, and I did some podcasts and interviews for it, you can find all of this in resources.
THE BRIDGE! This is our new project. The idea is to bridge the gap between individuals who work with human remains in and out of museums and that do great work to promote accessible and ethical conversations, and you! I'll be showcasing colleagues from around the world with very down to earth, short interviews that are visual, insightful and impactful. All we aim to do really! You know how you can find those interviews? Via the categories!
Finally, when I say "we have" and "let us know", I really mean Mummy Stories and me, myself and I. I run Mummy Stories solo (same for The Lyme Museum), and I really believe in its value and I am so grateful for the community that has supported this work for seven years. Please support "us" by sharing the project with your friends, colleagues, social media network, museum, order copies of Mummified for your local library, get your students involved, if you have speaking/ workshop budget, get in touch. I am grateful for the support and the kindness, in a world and certainly a field of inquiry that isn't always kind. It has really made a difference. Welcome to the next chapter!
