Hi everyone!

Today I wanted to share an amazing experience I had over the summer and give a little insight into what someone can do in the Arts Administration field. That being said, this summer I had the opportunity to work with the Everhart Museum here in Scranton. I was an Educational Interpretation Intern, meaning I had a focus on how history, art history, objects, art, etc. are interpreted within a museum for the public. It was a fantastic new kind of experience that broadened my understanding of my field and the opportunities I have to work in it. 

One area someone in the Arts Administration field can find themselves working in is research, and this is where I found myself this past summer. Research for a museum can be very specific and based on goals or projects that are planned out. It can also be something that’s very broad as you might be starting research from the beginning without much to go on and seeing how much you can find. Research for a museum is more than just writing papers. This type of information that you’re gathering is actually going towards different projects and uses that are important to a museum. That being said, when putting together research that has a high chance of being transmitted to the public, there are a few things that are vital to keep in mind as you work; this most importantly includes finding and recording factual and reliable information. 

My experience with research for this summer internship was more on the broad side of things and while that means there’s a lot to go through, it also means I got to learn so much! I was opened up to all kinds of sources, information, resources, and people, and it was all so new to me. My favorite part was visiting the public library and being surprised that they had files filled with all kinds of different sources and information, some very old and all very interesting. This also meant that I had a great deal of information to filter through, and while it was all so interesting to read through, this is where finding reliable sources comes into play. If I can say one thing as being the most important part of this field, it would be that you always want to tell the truth in your research. When you’re talking about history, different people, cultures, events, ect. it’s important to remember that you are representing and portraying that part of history and those people in your research. And to accurately and truthfully do this you need reliable sources to find your information. 

I had such a great time this summer working on research in a much different and larger setting than what I’ve been used to. It was a great learning experience with an opportunity to work in my field and I look forward to continuing my research with the Everhart and learning so much more. 

Have a great week everyone!