Daniella Carrington

Cultural Officer, Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Course: MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Full Time, 2016-17 (Graduated in 2018)

For my first time studying abroad, The University of Manchester and the city of Manchester was the ideal place for me, and the experience has positively impacted my professional and personal growth.

I chose the MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies course as it offered a comprehensive approach to learning museum theory and practice, specialisation opportunities and work placements. I selected a pathway in Curating to focus on Art, which I am passionate about, and Ethnography which I was introduced to and immediately enjoyed.

For me, the highlight of the course was the work placement, which was a rewarding experience that was meant to be. I say this because I found the place I wanted to work at before I even started the course. During orientation week at the University of Manchester, I saw an event hosted by the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre (AIURRRC) through the university’s activities calendar in their mobile app.

The AIURRRC’s focus on Black and Minority Ethnic communities in Manchester fascinated me, especially as this group included Caribbean people. My academic advisor and lecturer Dr Emma Martin keenly supported my interest in working at the AIURRRC, and the organisation even became one my case studies on Caribbean Museology outside of the Caribbean region for my thesis. The outcomes of my thesis work have led to a conference presentation and an ongoing career move as I am currently assisting with curatorial work at the National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago.