Nurse in Residence

Nurse in Residence 2020-2022

From 2020 - 2022, Barber Health supported a Nurse in Residence, Jane Nicol, previously Principal Lecturer at the University of Worcester, Univeristy of Birmingham and a Registered Nurse who is now Head of Leraning at St Richard's Hospice Foundation. Jane has a specialised in palliative and end of life care.

Jane continues to work with the Barber Health team within Learning and Engagement on a range of adhoc projects, looking at the Barber’s collection through her unique lens and developing ways of using the Barber’s collection to inform community healthcare and enrich medical training.

But why a Nurse in Residence?

We asked ourselves: what could happen if we placed a healthcare professional in a cultural setting?

As a healthcare professional, Jane brought her insight, knowledge, experience and contacts to the Barber Health project. We love to view the Barber’s art through fresh eyes, to share our collection in new and unexpected ways.

We also worked with Jane to integrate the Barber’s collection into teaching at the University of Birmingham’s College of Medical and Dental Sciences – delivering academic teaching across a number of courses in the College. Jane has been working with colleagues from Pharmacy and supporting them to use works from the Barber collection as part of their learning and teaching strategy.

Memento Mori

Exploring death, dying, loss, grief and bereavement through art

Barber Health draws on our distinct identity as a public museum within a Russell Group University which provides leading medical and healthcare training for the professionals of tomorrow.

In 2018 Jane Nicol (current Barber Nurse in Residence) and Jen Ridding (Deputy Director: Engagement & Operations) came together to explore how the Barber’s art collection could be used to enhance teaching about death, dying, loss, grief and bereavement in the University’s College of Medical and Dental Sciences (MDS).

Jane and Jen designed Memento Mori, an in-gallery workshop which uses Barber artworks, open questions, supported looking and facilitated discussion to explore this universal yet challenging topic.  The Memento Mori workshop initially became part of the University’s Nursing curriculum, before being rolled out to Medicine and Interprofessional Education programmes.  To date over 500 University of Birmingham students have experienced Memento Mori.  The Memento Mori model has proved to be a uniquely powerful and impactful learning experience.  We’ve also delivered versions of Memento Mori, online, with the general public as part of Dying Matters Week and for sixth form students who are planning to study medicine.

We continue to deliver this programme with MDS at the University of Birmingham.

To find out more please email learning@barber.org.uk

I think this might be the best thing I've done in Medicine and I believe every student should have the chance to do this.

Really really enjoyed the diversity of this teaching in comparison to the fact heavy, science-y lectures we get all the time.

Very good medium for reflection of thoughts and beliefs that I will carry into practice.

Though not a conventional method of teaching Nursing that we’re used to I’ve walked away with powerful lessons today.

Explore the archive 

Online Talk | A Serendipitous Encounter

jane nicol nurse in residence box

This event focused on Jane’s route to her Nurse in Residence role, and how a lunch time tour of the Barber was the catalyst for the partnership. Jane explored health inequalities, and the need for considerate communication when working with people living with dementia, choosing to illustrate these themes with the following works from the Barber collection: A Peasant Woman Digging, The Diggers, and Memories of the Past.

These event took place in February 2022.

Gallery Talk | Through a Healthcare Lens

Gallery Talk - Through a healthcare lens (3)

This gallery tour explored the therapeutic relationship and communication within the NHS with Jane illustrating these themes using both sculptures and paintings from the Barber collection. Naum Gabo’s, Linear Construction in Space No 1 demonstrate tension and the need for space in therapeutic relationships, and self-care.

This event took place in March 2022

Gallery Workshop | Let’s Explore: Dying Matters

Daubigny: Seascape

Artists have always explored death and dying through their art, producing both literal and metaphorical depictions of this universal human theme. Through guided looking, group discussion and creative activities this workshop used selected works from the Barber’s art collection to encourage reflection, questioning and conversation around death and dying.

These event took place in October 2022, in association with BrumYODO and Dying Matters Awareness

Workshop Feedback: 

Beautiful workshop! – Lovely way to confront a difficult subject matter and to analyse a work which may not have prompted the same discussion otherwise.

Really valuable, it encouraged and enabled me to look at paintings and sculptures in a whole different way. The facilitator’s passion and enthusiasm was wonderful.

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