Remke van der Velden is Curatorial Assistant at the Fitzwilliam Museum as well as Collections Assistant for Anthropology at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge. In the first capacity she assists Sally-Ann Ashton with exhibition research, database management, administrative support and any other curatorial tasks as required. At the MAA Remke manages the daily tasks involved in keeping ethnographic collections in good condition. This includes documenting, photographing and storing objects from Fijian clubs to Burmese paintings, as well as exhibition work.
Remke obtained a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences from University College Utrecht, the Netherlands. Following the Humanities track, this degree comprised Anthropology, Museum Studies, Art History and History courses. During her studies in Utrecht she researched the sharing of memories in a museum environment at the Netherlands Open Air Museum, Arnhem. In 2010 Remke completed an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, where her dissertation investigated collaborative practices between Maori and non-indigenous museum staff in the UK.
Since 2010 Remke has worked on the Stories of the World project, including the ‘Our Londinium 2012’ exhibition, at the Museum of London. She then moved on to the Horniman Museum where she worked in various roles such as Documentation Assistant and Exhibition Researcher for the ‘Body Adorned’ exhibition. She is excited to be part of the African Combs project where she hopes to increase her knowledge of African collections and community collaborations and share experiences with all those involved.
