These blog posts will be coming in a little late since I was travelling for some time without my laptop! I will try to space them out as to not overload everyone at one time! Some will be about my travels throughout Europe as well following the end of my internship so stay tuned!
Robert Owen was born in Newtown, Wales, UK. He was educated in Wales until he was 10, then sent to study as a draper. He was influenced by many great thinkers from the Enlightenment era and by the Society of Friends. His time in Manchester taught him how to be a diligent businessman. After becoming a manager of a factory at a very young age, he proved himself as both a diligent and ambitious worker. His work introduced him to many people and ideas throughout his young adult life, including the introduction to his wife and the business that would help him reach notoriety. Owen's marriage to Caroline Dale led him to embark on the path that led to some of his earliest achievements in social and factory reforms of the 19th century. Caroline's father, David Dale, was already a renown factory owner dealing in the textile industry. After taking over his father-in-law's business, Owen refined some of Dale's already existing reforms and implemented his own into the community, putting New Lanark on the map for more then just an efficient textile factory. His reforms there gave him notoriety and recognition for his efforts on the betterment of society.
I think that studying a man like Robert Owen has benefitted me in more ways then just giving me an internship opportunity. Although there are some ideas that I might not agree with, he's taught me some universal truths as well. Through researching him and being in a new country and culture, I've learned to be a bit more accepting of everyone. I've learned how different my community of people that I'm involved with back home differs from the different types of community here in Scotland. I've learned to be more accepting of those who are different from me in more ways then one. I've learned that although circumstances may be different for everyone in their upbringing, there's still a universal truth that people can change and learn to be geared more towards finding happiness for all. However, I've learned that there's a healthy balance between making everyone happy and making yourself happy. It's a fault of mine to please everyone and gain their approval before figuring out what I approve of for myself.
Despite coming to the "Old World" it was "A Whole New World" to me (yeah I've had Aladdin stuck in my head for a while! :) Definitely recommend the new movie by the way!)
My exhibition idea will highlight some of Owen's main reforms that he worked on throughout his lifetime in various places. The exhibit will be connected through display cases that are intertwined with New Lanark cotton thread and will show how everything about the places he went, his ideas, and what he worked towards is all interconnected with one another, and with what we strive for today as a society. The first stage will feature an overview of Robert Owen's life, connecting to the second stage which will feature 4 different reforms he valued (industrial, social, spiritual, and moral). These display cases will then be tied together to various others within Stage 3 that will be created by the other organizations involved on how he implemented them during his life throughout the world. In Stage 4, each of the parties involved creating the exhibition will be featured and have a display case for them to create as they see fit and mention their mission, values, and goals. Stage 5 still needs more research, but will feature what has been achieved since Owen’s time in the different reforms that he started.
Although this sounds very confusing and a lot to develop, I’m excited to see the end result and look forward to visiting once it’s all ready! 🤗
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