Dr Elee Kirk
Elee Kirk (November 1977 – August 2016) was a scholar and museum educator, who held a PhD in museum studies from the University of Leicester. Her work focused in particular on the experience of young children in museums, and drew upon years of hands-on experience working in science and medical museums including Thinktank (the Birmingham Science Museum), and the Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds.
In 2012, while working on her PhD, Elee was diagnosed with breast cancer. Elee finished her PhD in 2015, and took up a job as senior lecturer at the Institute of Education in London.
The cancer returned the year after, and Elee passed away in the summer of 2016.
This site gives a little bit of information about Elee’s work. If you are interested in Elee’s research, then the best place to start is her book, Snapshots of Museum Experience: Understanding Child Visitors Through Photography, published by Routledge in the autumn of 2018 (and now forthcoming in Korean!).
This site is now managed by Dr. Will Buckingham, Elee’s former partner and collaborator. If you would like to get in touch about any aspects of Elee’s work, then do get in touch with Will through his website.