Dr Angie Sutton-Vane

I’m currently a visiting fellow and consultant in the history department at the Open University. Prior to this I’ve had the privilege of combining a long career in museums and archives with more recent academic study around conservation, material culture and history and my research interests stem from this academic and professional coalescence. Working as a curator for a police museum and archive synthesised these interests to form the basis for my PhD research which examined, at a micro level, the making and preservation of murder files, but at a macro level established patterns of deposits of police records within local record offices and questioned the preservation of, and access to records for research purposes.

More broadly, my research covers contemporary history and policy, the preservation of policing history, museology, material culture, public and criminal justice history, collective and organisational memory and narratives from the archive.

Academic qualifications:

BSc (Hons) first class degree in object conservation
MRes with distinction in material culture and Islamic studies
PhD in History

Academic awards and heritage funding:

Arts and Humanities Research Council research preparation grant
Arts and Humanities Research Council doctoral research award
Heritage Lottery Fund grant
Big Lottery Fund grant
Arts Council England grant
Police History Society grant

Overview of work:

the Open University: Visiting fellow and consultant
the National Portrait Gallery, London: Event researcher and programmer
the University of Liverpool: Project coordinator
Devon & Cornwall Police museum and archive: Curator
the Thackray Medical Museum: Project consultant
the Towner Art Gallery and Museum: Project consultant
the National Maritime Museum: Inventory officer
the Horniman Museum: Conservation intern
Heriot-Watt University: Archives and collections
the National Galleries of Scotland: Registrar’s department

Voluntary roles:

I’m currently Chair of the Crime and Punishment Collections Network (CaP): an Arts Council England supported subject specialist network which provides support and information for collections, buildings, archives and libraries relating to prisons, police and courts.