On Why I Do Not Have A Favorite Musuem

As promised, here is my elaboration on why I do not have a favorite museum. You will all find out eventually that with most things in my life I do not have just one favorite of anything...except maybe with sports. So I have favorite museums, however, they fall into different categories. In other words, I have a favorite house museum and a favorite living museum (and favorites in other categories), but I don't favor one over the other. At least I don't think I do anyway. Also, as my geographic range has been mostly limited to the Northeast, I reserve the right to change my favorites, as all people should. Although as I visit more museums elsewhere I might just end up having my favorite house museum in the Northeast and my favorite house museum in the Southwest. That's just the way I do things. :-)

Next week, I shall make it the week of my favorite museums. Tomorrow I will finish up the rest of my introductory questions.

About Me Continued

4. What experience do you have?

a. In an actual museum setting I do not have any experience except with being a visitor. I do have experience in working with collections. I was Lab Manager at the Salve Archaeology Lab and after training my successor, I have now "retired," although I would love to be there more than once a week (which is what has been happening the past couple of weeks). I have processed archaeological collections from start to finish encompassing cleaning, sorting, cataloging, photographing and rehousing artifacts. I have spoken at and volunteered for conferences related to cultural and historic preservation and have related gallery experience.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

a. In 5 years I will have been finished with grad school for about 3 years. I see myself continuing to work in collections, although I see myself transitioning to more of a curatorial position but possibly just on the far side of that 5 years.

6. Where do you see yourself ultimately?

a. Ultimately, I would love to combine my experience in collections with my interests in curation, education, and the digital realm. Through collaboration I would like to create online exhibits and electronic field trips and work in an administration position. I don't think that this position has been created at all museums yet so maybe I would have to create it. I've already thought of a title: Director of Museum Presence on the Internet... or something like that. I think I would fit best in a medium sized institution where I can wear multiple hats and do all of that. I do plan on getting a certificate or degree in web design to help me create online exhibits and electronic field trips. Also, if I am better suited to be a consultant for museums looking to create those elements for their internet presence, then that's okay too. I'm open to it. But as this is a question about what I would like to do ultimately, I would totally love to have a museum to call home doing what I love.

7. What is your favorite museum?

a. Since I came up with these questions, I saved this one for last, because it is an obvious question for someone wanting to work in a museum. . . but the simple answer is: I do not have a favorite museum.

Gasp! Stay tuned to tomorrow when I elaborate on this answer.

About Me

As promised yesterday, here is a little bit of information about myself. I figured this would best be set up as a list of questions, and yes I did come up with them myself, so if you feel that I have left something out, please comment and let me know. My comments are called musings, just so you know.

1. Where do you go to school?

a. I go to school at Salve Regina in Newport RI, where I am a senior majoring in Cultural and Historic Preservation. I am not taking classes this semester, for reasons I'll post later, but I am set to finish up my graduation requirements and graduate in May. If any of you are looking to apply to undergraduate schools I highly recommend Salve and the CHP program.

2. What are your educational goals?

a. My goal currently is to get a Master's Degree in Museum Studies. I only applied to one school, the Cooperstown Graduate Program, because once I visited it, I knew it was for me. If I don't get in I'll just reapply next year. I'm not going to settle by going somewhere else. Depending on where I end up career wise, I am also contemplating getting a certificate or degree in Web Design. I also am open to getting a Doctorate, maybe in American History or something similar. I don't think that I could ever not be learning. I'm a lifer, lol.

3. What first got you into museums?

a. I have always enjoyed history, anthropology and the like. I also have archaeological experience and have spent two summers excavating around Newport. I seriously considered going into archaeology for a while, but as I will delve into later it was my job as Lab Manager that showed me that museums were my calling.

My first introduction to museums came from my Grandma, who had a lot of museum coffee table books. The pictures in them were exquisite. And I really wanted to reach into these photos and hold these objects. It was so cool how all of these objects, originating from all over, could be in one place.

As I got older and started going to museums, I really started to wonder how museums operated in order to have all of these things, and who decided to display them, and how could I get to work with such neat objects. Until I got even older, I didn't know that what I saw displayed was only a minute fraction of what the museum actually had, which only made me have even more questions.

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With the desire to keep my posts relatively short, stay tuned for tomorrow when I will continue to answer some basic questions about me and other museum musings.