Girl Power! Liz West in Conversation
Wednesday 17 July, 7.30pm
Our current exhibition ‘Girl Power! Spice Girls at 30’ tells the group’s story through outfits from the extraordinary collection of independent curator and artist Liz West. Liz is the foremost collector of Spice Girls memorabilia and merchandise in the World with over 5,000 individual items devoted to the band and a Guinness World Record to mark her achievement.
We’re delighted to host an in-conversation event with Liz, where she will be talking about her passion for collecting and for the Spice Girls. Liz will also be talking about the collection of outfits on display in the museum. Liz will be in-conversation with Liverpool’s UNESCO Head of Music Kevin McManus.
The vast array of objects and ephemera within Liz’s impressive collection outline the success and impact the Spice Girls had upon popular music in the 1990’s. The collection includes over 80 designer and hand-made outfits, jewellery and shoes all of which were worn by the Spice Girls in music videos, live concerts, on screen and at high profile public engagements. Alongside these rare items, the collection showcases award discs from all over the world, unique endorsement items, sponsorship merchandise, official products and worldwide releases on vinyl, CD, cassette, VHS, DVD and other formats.
Liz began collecting Spice Girls memorabilia in 1996 when the girls first launched themselves onto the pop scene. As an impressionable 11-year-old, she was hooked as soon as they released their first single 'Wannabe'. At that age all her friends and family would buy Spice Girls items for Birthday and Christmas presents.
Initially Liz just collected albums, magazines and sticker books but after a year of chart successes she started buying singles and masses of official merchandise. Everything was kept pristine in the packaging unlike her contemporaries who would use the items. Liz had a collector’s instinct from an early age, she would arrange and showcase proudly the boxed memorabilia on her bedroom shelves as a teenager. Liz bought her first museum worthy piece at Art School in Glasgow, where armed with a student loan she purchased a top worn my Melanie C via eBay.
All tickets £7.50 - on sale 9/5/24