This past weekend, the University of Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum (of Art and Archeology) reopened to the public. The museum had been closed for the past 10 months, which were spent demolishing previous additions to the back of the historical Cockerell building (1845), and constructing an adjoining building that adds 39 new galleries to the museum (doubling the previously available amount of display space), an education centre, conservation studios, and Oxford’s first rooftop restaurant. For those who don’t know, I have been hired at the museum as member of the new team of VSAs (Visitor Services Assistants), who serve as the museum’s front-of-house representatives.

The new building is very modern, and large glass windows and walls feature heavily in its design. At first, I was not convinced by the layout and design. Standing in many places in the museum, you can see up or down into other galleries through big glass windows and walls – I found this confusing when trying to familiarize myself with the layout of the building, because so often I could see where I wanted to go, but had no idea how to do so (this was especially frustrating when, during training, a group of us could see our team gathering for a meeting in a room across the atrium, but we couldn’t for the life of us find the way there). However, after having the new concept of the building and displays explained to us, it all made perfect sense. The new display strategy for the museum’s various collections is called “Crossing Cultures Crossing Time,” and it seeks to examine artefacts not only in their immediate cultural context, but also to connect them with other cultures (from various times) that influenced their making or purpose. The architecture of the new building greatly enhances this concept – collections are not confined to their immediate gallery surroundings, but rather connections are made visually between collections on different floors. A clever example can be found in the galleries of artefacts from Cyprus – the Medieval Cyprus gallery has a large glass wall that overlooks the Ancient Cyprus gallery a floor below. The “Crossing Cultures Crossing Time” concept is again emphasized in the orientation galleries for each floor, which explore the themes found in other nearby galleries. I think it is a fantastic and engaging new display strategy that really draws together the (sometimes disparate) collections.

We were all nervous when we first opened the doors to the public on Saturday, November 7, because we knew how the old Ashmolean had held a very dear place in the hearts of many citizens of Oxford (and from abroad, even). I am very pleased to say, however, that the overwhelming majority were thrilled with the new building and how the new galleries looked. I was told by quite a few people that they were nervous to come, fearing that they would be let down, but that they were surprised by how much they loved the new Ashmolean. One woman said to me that it was just thrilling to see her “old friends” again (the paintings and artefacts), and that it was fun to find them in new displays with new “friends” beside them in the cases. So many people walked through the main entrance into the new atrium staircase (which offers a view of all five floors) and simply said, “wow.”

I think I was most excited by the number of children I saw on the opening weekend, and by their enthusiasm for everything in the museum. Toddlers were thrilled by the huge statues in the atrium, seven-year-olds were excitedly searching for lions, horses, and dogs on Greek vases (to cross them off their official museum animal scavenger hunt) and asking me if I knew where a rabbit was, and older kids visited to sketch various sculptures and artefacts. I must say, my favourite kids were two five-year-old boys who exclaimed with joy, “wow, look at the huge carpet!!” when they saw a large tapestry hanging on a two-storey wall. I was also chatting with a mother and daughter on the weekend, and the daughter told me that the old Ashmolean was “boring,” but that now it is really fun and that she wants to come back again.

In short, it is just a really thrilling place to work, not only because it’s a world-class museum (and it is!), but also because of the enthusiasm for history and for learning that exudes from all visitors and staff. I couldn’t have been looking for a job in Oxford at a better time!