MA Museum Studies

Tom Milnes is an artist, curator and researcher based in Plymouth, UK. He is Senior Lecturer and Course Leader of Postgraduate Studies at Arts University Plymouth. Milnes’ research practice explores the materiality of technology, engaging with the cultural impact of 3D imaging media through glitch practice and Media Archaeology. He holds a Ph.D. from Falmouth University, with his thesis concentrating on glitch practices in 3D photogrammetry, and his research interests include Post-Digital processes, online cultures, and 3D image aesthetics. Milnes has recently published research papers with the Journal of Artistic Research and Visual Resources. Milnes has exhibited internationally including at: W139 - Amsterdam , iMKONSTHALL, Sweden, AND/OR - London, The Centre for Contemporary Art Laznia - Gdansk, and Gyeonggi International Biennale - Korea. Milnes has recently exhibited at FORMAT International Photography Festival. He is the curator and founder of the online platforms Digital Artist Residency and Polygon Palm.

Steve Conway has worked for 30 years as a conservator in national and regional museums and galleries in the public sector and in private practice. Initially specialising in remedial conservation of organic objects and polychrome sculpture, before developing a specialist practice in collections planning and project management. He has a longstanding interest in the traditional crafts of wood carving and gilding and has successfully combined his conservation career with architectural sculpture commissions in wood and stone. Steve managed the conservation, restoration and display of the large-scale figurehead sculptures at The Box, Plymouth before becoming Collections Manager there in 2022.

Terah Walkup is curator of art at The Box where she oversees the fine and decorative art collections, develops exhibitions and supports art collection displays. As curator, she is responsible for the care, display, documentation and management of the museum’s art collection. Her first professional role in museums was in museum and art education, which informs her curatorial approach to interpretation, documentation and gallery teaching. She makes collections accessible for research and reimagining, interpretation and inspiration and connecting the stories represented by collections to contemporary audiences, their lived experiences and hopes for the future. She is passionate about reframing narratives, introducing new frameworks to collection interpretation, documenting collective and informal knowledge about object histories, and bringing underrepresented artists and their stories to the fore. She recently curatedReframing Reynolds: A Celebration (2023), an anniversary exhibition of Sir Joshua Reynolds (2023),Making a Mark: Dazzling Drawings from the Cottonian Collection, People and Place: Art Collections Showcase (2023-2024), which includes the museum’s first display solely dedicated to women artists from the collection andDress Code: Fashion Stories from The Box (2022)—the institution’s first exhibition showcasing its extensive historic garment collection. Her research interests include ceramics, textile and clothing history and the history of art, collections and museums through an intersectional feminist lens. Originally from Texas, she has been involved in museum redevelopment projects in the US and UK having previously served in engagement and curatorial roles at the Art Institute of Chicago. She earned a MA in Art History from Northwestern University (Chicago, Illinois) and a BA in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas).

Jason is an artist, writer and educator with an interest in the detritus, flotsam and jetsam of the everyday. Other areas of interest include landscape, walking, critical writing, comics, Actor Network Theory, poetry and performative practices. Since 2001 he has been walking, collecting and archiving the city of Plymouth; this work has been realised in a number of ways, including published texts, performances (locally, nationally and internationally), installations, and public talks. Jason studied Performance Writing at Dartington College of Arts followed by a Masters by Research in Landscape at the University of Plymouth, and he is currently a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Education, where his research involves speculations on the future of the art school and communities of practice. As one half of Driftingspace and a founding member of the art and architecture group Interchange, Jason explores the possibilities of place, space and critical education as a conduit for transformational learning. He also runs theopenartschool, which includes the ongoing microlecture series #5minutecontext, hosted on his Instagram account @JasonHirons. For years Jason led and coordinated the Contextual Studies modules at Arts University Plymouth, and he currently teaches on the BA (Hons) Illustration, Masters in Art, Masters in Photography, and MFA programmes, and is the Course Leader for Distance Learning at Arts University Plymouth.