Graduate Work
At Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Digital Donor Engagement and COVID-19: How to Keep IN Touch
Indy Museum Exchange webinar - Spring 2021
With a collaborator, I organized an hour long webinar that was intended to deliver the latest information on fundraising trends and practical examples to current museum professionals. I helped find speakers, wrote a program outline, and moderated the webinar live. You can view a recording of the webinar HERE.
The Spiritual Museum:
How Museums Can Aid Spiritual Wellness
Research Paper - Fall 2020
In this paper I examined what I feel is a critically under-researched and underrated aspect of museums: their spirituality. I did a review of museums addressing spirituality through their exhibits, collections, and public programing. Doing this research cemented by conviction that museums should do soulful work, because without intentionally addressing spirituality museums may unintentionally do spiritual harm.
In the paper, I argued that "At the bare minimum, museums should be interested in improving the spiritual wellness of the source communities of collection objects. They should enter in collaboration with the creators of spiritual objects as well as the worshippers of those objects to produce inclusive collections management, interpretation, and exhibit design practices. Spirituality is a domain of museum work because objects within museums have spirits. Whether visitors come to see their own spiritual practices reflected back at them, such as at the Museum of Witchcraft, come to reflect and learn about others’ religious practices, or to simply connect to something greater than themselves following the instructions of an online guide, museums serve as spiritual resources."
Strategic Plan for the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library
Team Project - Spring 2020
I led a team of five to write a 44-page strategic plan for the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis. Our plan focused on building the museum's fundraising capacity, expanding its membership program, implementing collections care best practices, and grow its workforce.
One of my contributions to my team's strategic plan was this comprehensive benchmarking chart.
Religion and Culture of Wayne County Exhibit Proposal
Team Project - Spring 2020
In a team of four, developed at exhibit proposal focusing on religions in Indiana for the Wayne County Museum of History in Richmond, Indiana. The former church organ at left was the proposed main star of the exhibit.
Learning Through Memory Loss: Museum Dementia Programs and Accessibility
Research Paper - Fall 2019
For this project, I did a literature review of the pedagogy behind museum programs for people with dementia and their caregivers. I then discovered how these kinds of programs were done in real museums by observing programs for this audience at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Conner Prairie. I concluded, "these programs aim to create a safe space where people with dementia and their caregivers can socially interact and learn with their peers. They paint the museum as one among many compassionate voices in the room, a friend. What possibilities could be realized if museums decenter their knowledge ownership in favor of increased accessibility?"
