Second Post
Interning with the James Monroe Museum has been wonderful; they have helped me learns so much about a potential career in museums. In the time since I wrote my first blog post, I was included in talks with the director of the James Monroe Museum, the James Farmer Multicultural Center, and the guest speaker we are planning on hosting for Native American History Month. The conversations that we had during the planning process were extremely enlightening. For example, part of the discussion touched upon needing to be aware of how sensitive the content we are planning on highlighting can be. This in turn lent itself to including the Talley Center in this program to ensure that there would be a safe space for people to discuss how the content has impacted them.
Another task I was given during my internship was to create a social story. A social story is a narrative that describes what the experience in a space will be. These are very useful for caretakers of those with different disabilities or those with anxieties. I created the social story in two different formats. The first one was a comic strip using photos from the museum that took a character throughout the space. I then made a video using the comic strip with a voiceover narration so that the media would remain accessible for all audiences. This allowed me to get even better at using Adobe Spark, which is a skill I am looking forward to honing in the future. The other version of a social story that we created was a long form narrative for an older audience. This takes a more of an in-depth focus of what walking through the museum would be like.
Before I did this internship, I had no idea how much work, thought, and planning goes into creating events for the public. If I do decide to pursue a career in museums or public history, I will have so much knowledge and experience to bring to the table, thanks to this experience. I hope that, if this is a field I am fortunate to have a career in, I will be able to make sure that the programs and space are accessible for every visitor. This would include small details, like ensuring that there is a mental health professional present for difficult conversations or having a social story available. I am so grateful for this experience and I look forward to what the future holds!