The exhibition catalogue was published in book form. There is a website, and a large body of web resources, still live and active. The feedback from 130,000 visitors was enthusiastic and demonstrated the extent to which public perceptions had been altered by the exhibition. There were many VIP visitors, including several members of the British Royal Family. Prince Charles opened the exhibition, and there was enormous media attention to the reunification of the four surviving Magna Cartas of 1215, staged as part of the opening celebrations. There was a strong multi-disciplinary aspect to the exhibition, spanning the fields of law, history and politics, with impact also in cultural studies, theatre and art history. Individual publications are listed in the relevant sections below devoted to publications and engagement.
Dr Claire Breay and Dr Julian Harrison of the British Library curated the exhibition, with Professors Carpenter and Vincent as historical advisors. The British Library hosted a private viewing of the exhibition for delegates of the Magna Carta Project conference, in June 2015, as well as providing the venue for the conference's third day.
From March to September 2015, the British Library staged a major exhibition on Magna Carta. Opened by the Prince of Wales, this attracted visitors from across the world. All told, 134,000 paying members of the public attended the exhibition, making it the most successful suc exhibition that the British Library has ever mounted. Professors Vincent and Carpenter acted as advising curators, with Dr Breay serving as lead curator. Vincent, Carpenter, Breay, Wilkinson and the RA assigned to the British Library all contributed chapters to the exhibition catalogue (published in March 2015), and delivered talks to members of the public at the exhibition's opening, and throughout the run. A major international conference was staged in association with the Exhibition in June 2015. There was considerable media coverage in the national and international press. The general public returned feedback forms which demonstrated the depth and degree to which their perceptions of Magna Carta, and with it their understanding of law and liberty, had been transformed by the exhibition.
Academic/University
2012-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
King's College London (KCL)
United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (UK)
Collaboration Output
British Library Exhibition March-September 2015