Meadows Museum - Final Fall Update (See You In Spring)

Hello everyone!

Here is my last update this fall on my time with the Meadows Museum (I’ll be back in the spring). When I was first hired, I came into the position hoping to gain a better understanding of how education departments operate, and I absolutely have. Through both the MMSC and tour scheduling, I have had exposure to what has to be considered in planning events, how to manage timelines, who to communicate with and how, how to interact with security when scheduling, and the list goes on. Even if I have not been directly operating within these areas, I have been exposed to them and have been able to make connections to other departments. I have interacted more with other departments than I have at other institutions, and I will likely be working with the museum’s collections manager Anne Lenhart to gain some experience in collections/registrar work.

I was very also interested in what opportunities being on a university campus would provide the Meadows Museum. Interestingly, there is not a particularly strong connection between the museum and SMU’s student body (limited to a couple of art history professors occasionally visiting with small classes), and a part of my projects has been working on developing a better relationship. Through the MMSC I am able to assist in developing new connections to SMU’s student body with the end goal of producing a product that will be associated with the Meadows Museum - specifically a podcast that deals with their unique collection and those that work for and with the institution. The project will discuss jobs that are not necessarily known by the public while also providing insight into people with fascinating careers who are not recognized outside of the museum community. For example, Alton Bowman is an extremely prolific furniture and frame conservator who is very well known amongst museum conservation in the Dallas area, but people outside those departments may not even know who he is.

I have definitely had to learn how to work within a collection with a specific focus, and this has been done primarily through the MMSC where I have had to choose how to examine or focus on an artwork, what guest speakers to bring in, and how to encourage students to engage with the material.

I’m looking forward to returning and sharing more about my experience in the spring! Happy holidays everyone~