This post is part of our Internship Spotlight series. For this installment, Museology Communications and Marketing Assistant Marcela Velandia (’25) spoke with Ash Gingery (’25) about their internship experience at the Museum of Pop Culture.
What organization did you intern with and what you do in your internship?
I was lucky to have the opportunity to intern in the collections department of the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). My project centered on a sub-collection of materials related to the history of Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, and Rock ‘N’ Roll in Seattle, WA. Over the course of five months, I updated and standardized the catalog entries of each of the 100 objects and digitized any object that needed high quality images. Additionally, I conducted research in order to write labels for each object and then published this collective work on MoPOP’s website. You can see some of my work by browsing their online collection!
Beyond project specific tasks, the MoPOP team included me in meetings for long-term planning, cross-department collaboration and exhibit installation. I received hands-on training in IPM, environmental maintenance and even box-making!
What learning goals did you have going into the internship?
I think it can be difficult to know specifically what you want to learn when beginning an internship. Instead, I approached the experience with an open mind, with my primary goal to gain more hands-on experience but willing to accept any opportunity for learning that appeared.
What did you end up learning from your internship? Did you fulfill your original learning goals? Were there any unexpected takeaways or learning moments?
For me, the benefit of approaching my internship with open ended goals, was that it gave me lots of space to explore and the MoPOP team was incredibly supportive, welcoming me into a multitude of spaces within the museum. So, while yes, I did get the hands-on collections care experience that I wanted, more importantly I got to see the incredible value of deep cross-department collaboration within a museum. In contrast to how we typically study museum practices, where roles are isolated and placed in a strict hierarchy, integration between curatorial, exhibits and collections, I think, created better outcomes both on the museum floor and behind-the-scenes in the work environment.
What did you enjoy most about this internship?
I genuinely loved everything about this internship. One of the memories that will stick with me forever though, is when we installed the Death Star. It was such a huge, heavy, awkward object that it required a lot of hands (literally and figuratively), weeks of planning each step of the installation process, and so much creative problem-solving. So, when it all came together the day of, and it went (mostly) smoothly, it was a great feeling of accomplishment.
Is there anything you wish you had done differently in your internship? Do you have any recommendations for students looking into internships now?
My biggest advice for anyone looking for an internship is to find a place/team that is supportive and welcoming. When I compare my time with MoPOP to other experiences I’ve had, so much of my ability to learn and grow in the internship came from the support of the team around me. Basically, don’t settle for being a source of cheap labor, find an organization that is invested in your success – personally and professionally. And get paid for your work!
What’s next? How did this internship relate to your career goals, interests, and/or plans, and how has it impacted those goals, interests, and/or plans?
During this internship, I think I learned a lot about myself, and what I want out of a career in museums. First, my work in this internship affirmed that I am capable of doing collections work, which was quite empowering. Second, it reenforced that I prefer working at smaller institutions which allow me to do lots of different types of work within one position. I want a job in which every day is a new adventure, with new opportunities for problem solving.