–Catherine Wood, Class of 2018 This year I was fortunate to be the sixth student Project Manager for the American Alliance of Museums’ (AAM) Excellence in Exhibition Label Writing Competition. Through this unique partnership I’ve gained practical project management skills, networked with leading museum professionals, and increased my appreciation for exhibit label writing. I knew even before coming to the University of Washington that I wanted to take on the Project Manager role. I first learned about UW’s Museology program…
Category: Student Life
Calaveras & Conversations: Leading Spanish Tours at Bellevue Arts Museum
AUTHOR: Pamela Maldonado, Class of 2018 Last year, I attended the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) conference in St. Louis, Missouri and learned about a Spanish led family program for toddlers that takes place at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Illinois. I was blown away by their program that seeks to bring in early learners and their adults to look at art together and participate in activities. I knew in that moment that I wanted to make my…
Curating Topophilia: Exploring Contemporary Art and Building Skills Through the Emerging Curator Initiative (ECI)
AUTHOR: Emily Bowden, Class of 2018. Curator of Topophilia After being accepted into the Museology program at the University of Washington, I began thinking about what my focus in the program could potentially be and what really gets me excited about working in museums. I knew that I wanted to focus on building my curatorial skills. I was very interested in curating my own exhibition, as I had been able to do through a Summer Research Grant at my undergraduate institution….
4Culture Rural Internship Program at Neely Mansion
-Theresa Ball, Class of 2018 As with many students in the UW Museology program, I try to stay informed of internship and networking opportunities in the Seattle area. This past fall, a particularly interesting opportunity caught my eye. 4Culture, the cultural funding agency for King County, was offering a 6 month internship with a small, mostly volunteer-run institution. The rural internship program is part of the 4Culture T.I.P.S. program, which was launched in 2018 to help provide technical assistance, inspiration,…
Looking Back: A Museology Student’s Reflection on their First Quarter
-Emma Reilly, Class of 2019 Here I am, finished with my first quarter of graduate school writing an extra thing, AFTER FINALS, for UW Museology because I like it that much. Museology, study of the muses, has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? I’ve looked at dozens and dozens of other museum studies programs but this is the only one that stuck out to me. Part of that has to be credited to the name: to muse, or “to…
Exhibit Installation at The Center for Wooden Boats
–Samuel Howes, Museology class of 2019 The morning air was chill, and with hot coffee in hand, I looked over the docks at The Center for Wooden Boats (CWB). A few dinghies and keelboats were tied up and covered with canvas, lines creaking audibly as water lapped against the hulls. My work boots thudded across the gangplank, breaking up the morning’s stillness. I was volunteering for the day to help install the Still Afloat: Historic Small Craft of King County…
Orientation Reflections: Welcoming the Class of 2019
While orientation marks the end of my summer, it is a time I look forward to, when I have the opportunity to get to know our incoming cohort of students, beyond just an application, a few emails, and maybe a brief visit. This group represents a range of interests, experience, and goals – with 35 students hailing from 18 states, holding degrees in 21 different majors, and interests in all aspects of the museum field. Yet beyond their individual personalities,…
A Meandering Journey: Looking Back at My Graduate School Experience
Author: Marina Mayne, Class of 2017 When I started graduate school, I wasn’t sure exactly how everything would come together but I thought I knew exactly where I wanted to end up. I had worked in collections management positions in undergrad, spent time working in museums before graduate school, and completed an undergraduate minor in museum studies at the University of Michigan. I was on a path and ready to explore all the opportunities in the UW program and Seattle…
Museology at Work – Work Study at the Burke Museum and Henry Art Gallery
The University of Washington is fortunate to have a few on-campus museums, which are incredible resources for our students. Not only do The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and the Henry Art Gallery offer free admission to all UW students, both museums offer a variety of work study positions, which give students paid opportunities to gain further experience working in a museum. Work Study is a Federal Student Aid program that partially funds part-time jobs for students with financial need as way to…
Internship Spotlight – Holocaust Center for Humanity
–Sydney Dratel, Class of 2018. When I started the Museology program, I was not expecting to land an internship right away. In a student newsletter sent out over the summer, I saw a listing for an internship with Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity. The description was fascinating (work with primary documents, having ownership over a large project), and so I decided to apply. I am so glad that I did, because my internship experience has reaffirmed my interest in working…