CV
Susan Ann Bennett, MA
Consultant Researcher
7 Drakes Drive, Ducks Hill Road, Northwood, Middx HA6 2SL
T: 01923 827481 mobile: 0790 5273293 email: susan@bennett.as or susanbennettas@googlemail.com
Current status
External provider natural sciences INTUTE: Arts and Humanities, University of Manchester; INTUTE: Health and Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, 2005-
Volunteer on Sun Insurance Registers Project, LAUF, Guildhall
Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, The William Shipley Group, 2004-
Member of West Middx Group of The National Trust web page sub committee, 2006
Member of London RSA Fellows Regional Committee, Dec 2006-
NADFAS guide for Moor Park Mansion, Herts – March 2007
Moor Park Decorative Arts Society – Morning Lectures secretary, committee member and trustee, June 2007-
Private research commissions: Jon Meacham, Managing Editor, Newsweek; Walter Isaacson, Chairman, CNN; Ben Weaver, Chairman, General Assembly, Dr David G. C. Allan, and Deborah Jaffe, author.
Transcription clients: Science Museum, Royal Meteorological Society, Christie’s
Education
2002-04 Birkbeck MA History of Art based on Research awarded 2004 for ‘A thankless child’. The artistic life of Georgiana
Jane Henderson (nee Keate) 1771-1850
1967-69 Harrow College of Further Education – secretarial and office
skills
Talks
‘George Keate, Esq., Friend of Johnson’s Literary Circles’, Johnson Society of London (April 2007)
Using archives in research to MACC students at Kings College London on 21st March 2005
‘The Henderson connection 1784-1850: new discoveries into a family of artists
and collectors linked with the London Society of Arts’, to the University of Connecticut London Programme students and the William Shipley Group at the City University on 22nd February 2005
‘Portrait of ‘a thankless child’, Georgiana Keate (1771-1850): artist and subject’ to the Association of Art Historians conference 2005
A number of talks relating to the history of the Society of Arts to regional meetings of the RSA; the Bath and West Society; the Metropolitan Police History Society; as well as visiting groups during period of employment at RSA
Publications
Edited collection of essays by a number of academics in a volume entitled: ‘Cultivating the Human Faculties’. James Barry (1741-1806) and the Society of Arts, for publication by Associated Universities Press for Lehigh University, USA in second half 2008
‘Roderick Henderson’s Forebears part 1 and 2’, Rickmansworth Historical Society Newsletter 70, December 2005, pp.5-10; 71, March 2006, pp.6-7
‘The Henderson connection: new discoveries into a family of artists
and collectors linked with the London Society of Arts’, WSG Occasional Paper no.3
‘Those rare individuals – innovators’, The Story of the ‘Bath and West’ innovation and application, Royal Bath and West of England Society, 2002
‘Prince Albert, The Great Exhibition and the Society of Arts’, Prince Albert Studies, K. G. Saur, 2002
“‘A hundred percent contribution to industrial art”: Susie Cooper RDI and the Royal Society of Arts’ , A Pioneer of Modern Design, Antique Collectors Club, 2002
‘The Society of Arts’, UHELMAS Review
The RSA and the ‘Polite Arts’, Bulletin of Association of Art Historians, May 1995
‘The Society of Arts and Public Conveniences’, British Toilet Association, 1996/7
‘Invention of the Homograph, RSA Jnl, vol.144, 1996
‘Into the Limelight’, RSA Jnl, vol.144, 1996
‘Lifeboat’, RSA Jnl, vol.144, 1996
‘Orchardist’, RSA Jnl, vol.144, 1996
‘Opium’, RSA Jnl, vol.145, 1997
‘The Cultivation of the Potato’, RSA Jnl, vol.145, 1997
‘Links between the RSA and Trafalgar Square’, RSA Jnl, vol.146, 1998
‘From Russia with Respect’, RSA Jnl, vol.146, 1998
‘Sir John Soane (1753-1837) connecting with the RSA’, RSA Jnl, vol.147, 1998
‘Benjamin Franklin and the Society of Arts’, The Craven Street Gazette
Produced D G C Allan, A chronological history of the RSA, 1999
Produced Benjamin Franklin of Craven Street, 2001
Compiled index to D G C Allan, The Adelphi Past and Present, 2001
2006
Competencies and responsibilities
· Managed and developed archive and history of learned society founded in 1754
· Answered enquiries and assisted researchers by letter, email, telephone and supervised visits to the archive search room.
· Managed RSA Library; acquisition of bookstock; identifying source material; managing circulation of periodicals; operating inter-library loan service
· Managed photograph and slide collection; including commissioning new photography, and sale of images
· Managed the loan of archival material to other organisations and museums; e.g. National Maritime Museum; Museum of London.
· Produced finding aids and information sheets
· Gave public talks to regional meetings of the RSA, as well as outside groups such as Metropolitan Police History Society; Bristol Royal Scientific and Literary Institution, William Morris Society, Prince Albert Society
· Wrote short interest pieces for RSA Journal, and supplied information to support other authors and articles
· Organised funding and editor for Semaphores to Shortwaves – contributed index for this volume
· Identified and organised speakers, topics for programmes of history talks and symposia, including cross boundary working and co-operation, which led to a two-part conference held in London and Coburg with The Victorian Society and the Prince Albert Society on ‘The Legacy of the Great Exhibition’.
· Developed relationships with many societies and institutions in the UK and overseas, including the British Library, British Museum, Royal Photographic Society
· Successful funding applications led to grants of c£700k from the Heritage Lottery Fund for an archive cataloguing project; £15k from the Royal Commissioners for a two day conference on ‘The Legacy of the Great Exhibition’; £1k from Paul Mellon Centre towards publication costs of book of essays on ‘James Barry’; as well as many smaller awards for conservation of archive and early printed materials made over this and my earlier period of employment at the RSA.
· Gave informed tours of the RSA historic buildings to interest groups. Trained volunteer guides.
· Mentored student as part of History Field project run by Kingston University
· Raised profile in the media through supporting production companies, including VideoText; Brook Lapping and the BBC.
· Managed project commissioning design and production of commemorative Swiney Prize cup, 1999.
· Acted as occasional librarian for the Design Museum, c.24hours a year over 3 years.
· Acted as cover at Sotheby’s Institute whilst librarian was on sabbatical leave, for 4 months 2001.
· Using Unicorn database, inputting details of collections held in The Natural History Museum into a global catalogue, as part of their Darwin project.
· Project Assistant, BIOME project, The Natural History Museum London, with relevant training at University of Nottingham
· Volunteer on London Archive Users Forum Sun Insurance Registers Project at The Guildhall. Entering data into access index database.
· Founding member, Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, The William Shipley Group 2004-
· Reference checking and picture research for Dr Marcia Pointon’s forthcoming book on jewellery
Tv appearances
Channel 5 news on Heritage Lottery Fund award; PBC and History Channel series on Queen Victoria. Also provided research support for BBC The History of Art on James Barry and his paintings; BBC The Science of Secrecy presented by Simon Singh.
Knowledge of Microsoft Word98, Access, Excel, Publisher and CALM2000 cataloguing software, UNICORN Works and internet.
Invited to Women of the Year lunch at the Savoy in 1997.
Employment history
2006 Reference checking and picture research for Dr Marcia
Pointon (April-October)
2005-2008 Website cataloguer, BIOME, University of Nottingham –
renamed INTUTE Health and Life Sciences 2006
2005-08 Website cataloguer, ARTIFACT, University of Manchester – renamed INTUTE Arts and Humanities 2006
2005 Freelance research assistant to Project Researcher, Legal Department, Christie, Manson and Wood, 24th October-2nd December
2005 Private research commissions, Ben Weaver
Jon Meacham, Managing Editor, Newsweek – personal
research
2003-05 Project Assistant, BIOME, The Natural History Museum,
London (part time)
2003 Private research commission, Ben Weaver, Chairman,
General Assembly
2003 LAUF Sun Insurance Registers Project at The Guildhall – data inputting
2002 Eight month contract – 16 April to 10 December. Collection Level Description Assistant, The Natural History Museum, London
Private research commissions – Walter Isaacson, Chairman, CNN; Ben Weaver, Chairman, General Assembly and Deborah Jaffe, author
2001 Four month contract – Librarian, Sotheby’s Institute
2001-1999 Curator, RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts,
Manufactures & Commerce)
1999-1995 Archivist, RSA; occasional Librarian, Design Museum
1995-1992 Library Administrator, RSA
1992-1990 Acting Library Administrator, RSA
1990-1998 Assistant Librarian, RSA
1984-1973 Assistant Librarian, RSA
1973-1970 Secretary, Librarian Zoological Society
1970-1969 Secretary, Architects Department, Zoological Society
Memberships:
Victorian Society, NADFAS Moor Park; National Trust and West Middx group, National Trust; National Art Collections Fund, Friend of Institute of Historical Research, Decorative Arts Society, Festival of Britain Society, Johnson Society of London, Rickmansworth Historical Society, Watford Writers Group, Ramblers Association
MA, Hon.FRSA
