Helen Hartstein, Audience Development Lead

Helen Hartstein
Helen Hartstein – Audience Development Lead
As Audience Development Lead, I manage a team of people whose job it is to encourage more people to visit RAMM and engage with our collections, including people who perhaps wouldn’t normally consider coming into a museum. We put on events and activities for different audiences and keep people up to date with what’s going on at the museum through our marketing and communications. We also encourage people to get more deeply involved with RAMM through volunteering.
How I ended up at RAMM
It sounds like a bit of a cliché but I’ve always wanted to work in a museum. It has been a bit of a journey getting here. After finishing my MA in medieval studies, I found myself working in the IT industry and spent several years in marketing for some of the world’s largest IT companies. After my second son was born, we moved to Spain for an adventure and lived there for 5 years, running our own business teaching English and helping Spanish companies market themselves better to tourists. On returning to the UK, I wanted to move out of the corporate world, so I got a job as Head of Marketing for The Landmark Trust, a charity that rescues and restores historic buildings. Prior to joining RAMM, I was Head of Communications and Marketing at an NHS trust.
Best part of my job
Seeing how much RAMM means to its visitors, whether it’s the tots buzzing around with their bee bags, the art student sketching or the elderly person coming in for one of our dementia-friendly sessions. It’s more than just a building with objects in, it’s a place where people come to explore, interact and think about the world, and it’s great to be part of that.
What I like most about RAMM
The variety of the place. There’s always something new to discover. I think the design of RAMM is amazing and I love the contrast of Albert’s statue against the hot pink walls. If I had to pick one place though, it would be Sladen’s study. It’s such a contrast to the other galleries.