Suited for Space at SITES

Before and through my graduate education, I've held a lot of internships. A LOT. Due to the limited stint of these placements, it is very rare that I get to see an entire project through to the end. But now, with more and more museums and organizations updating blogs and Twitter accounts, I can keep tabs on the projects that I had some part in.

Suited for Space is a traveling exhibit in development with SITES and NASM. I helped with content research and met with NASM staff in the early stages. My time at SITES was great; I got to do a lot of interesting background work. I'm excited to see how much of that work ends up in the final show- and also excited that I won't have to wonder, just click "Refresh."

On Sausage and the Interwebs

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I participated in an interview project for AAM's Center for the Future of Museums.

And it is up!

Check my interview out. It is short and sweet, I promise. And for those you of you who haven't met me, yes, I am always that expressive. I don't want to give away too much from the interview but as a teaser, I talk about sausage, twitter, and visitor participation. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Also check out my classmate Ashley. She speaks of the digitization of collections.

Us GW 2009 graduates are a smart bunch (hint, hint, employers).

ETA: Thanks for the shout out, Val!

Bank of America Gives Back

Though I happily jumped the Bank of America ship long ago (seriously, their customer service leaves much to be desired), I am equally impressed to recommend their Museums on Us program. Check out Val's most recent post over at her desk.

For those local readers of mine, the Phillips Collection is the only institution within city limits to participate, but hopefully for those of you BoA customers, more will get on board. As much as I love visiting the big ol' Smithsonians for the freeness, there is something refreshing about a lovely little museum you can get most of the way through in an afternoon.

Walking Tour Halted

On Sunday, I, along with a friend, attempted to go on a walking tour of Dupont Circle that highlighted historical scandals. The titillating topic and gorgeous weather brought out people in droves, which caught the Historic Dupont Circle Main Street reps a bit off guard. With no megaphone, the pour guide had to contend with traffic noise and though he had a book and other visuals, they were best suited for a classroom setting instead of on the side of the street.

After the first stop (talking about the Hope Diamond at the Indonesian Embassy), we decided to leave the group and go get frozen yogurt. I would have liked to stay on the tour, but being able to hear the guide is kinda integral to the whole experience. I hope that it improved as the tour went on and while the popularity of the tour is a good thing, I hope that they learn from this experience and plan accordingly for future events. Encouraged registration would help estimate numbers as well as gather ever important email addresses for future events. Multiple guides leaving at staggered times would be a great help. Since the tour is in the neighborhood, I found that the buildings and surroundings were adequate visual aides and the fact I couldn't see photos in a book clearly merely frustrated me. Perhaps the book could be listed as a reference after the tour.

I've emailed Historic Dupont Circle to see if they will be putting the tour online- I really did want to learn about those scandals!- and depending on how the email conversation goes, maybe I'll share my thoughts here. I'll be sure to update you!

Proud of My State

On the same day as my visit to AVAM, I swung by the Peale Museum. It is the first building erected in the Western hemisphere that was built to house museum collections. With Washington, DC so close, cultural institutions in Baltimore can sometimes fade away. And don't get me wrong- I love living in DC and sampling the freeness. But don't forget that a short drive north on 95 is a plethora of interesting sites and activities.

Plus, the Peale Museum has its name engraved on the front and the U's look like V's. I love that.