Professional Development: Job Searches

About a month ago, there was a question on the EMP LinkedIn page that got a lot of responses. “Where can I find good museum job boards?” It makes the rounds every once in a while, but this time it made me realize that we haven’t addressed the topic here yet. Today’s post will be short and simple, with a list of as many job boards as we know of. Links will take you directly to the job board of the organization listed. You’re of course welcome to post additional ones in the comments, and we’ll add them to the official list so everyone can see them!

 

International

• University of Leicester Museum Studies Program
• Museum Jobs Online
• Canadian Heritage Information Network
• The Platform of Swiss Museums

 

United States  (primarily)

• American Association of Museums
• Association of Zoos and Aquariums
• American Association for State and Local History
• Global Museum
• HistPres.com
• Museum Employment Resource Center
• National Association of Interpretation (members only)
• American Public Gardens Association
• Association of Children’s Museums

 

US Regional

• New England Museum Association
• Association of Midwest Museums
• Mountain Plains Museum Association
• Southeastern Museums Conference
• Western Museums Association

 

Note: we are not listing the State boards for now. But we encourage people to look up the job boards associated with each State museum association.

Graduate Schools: Newcastle University (England)

Loni Rocchio brings us a review of Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England today, where she graduated in 2006 with an MA degree in Museum Studies. Since then she’s worked in Events at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis and then, later, managed the Annual Fund at the Autry National Center here in Los Angeles. She’s held internships and/or practicums at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures in Bloomington, Indiana, and Bede’s World, a Candidate World Heritage Site in Northern England. In a move that I’m sure more than a few EMPs are familiar with, she recently left her position at the Autry National Center to work in university development, where as she says, she’ll benefit from the rigorous and disciplined approach to fundraising and stewardship that universities, in particular, provide in spades. She hopes to someday return to museums professionally but, until then, will continue to serve the museum world in other capacities – as a volunteer, advocate and, yes, donor!

Name of School: Newcastle University, International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies (ICCHS)

Degree: Master of Museum Studies

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom

Program Emphasis: Through its International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies (ICCHS), Newcastle University offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of museums, galleries, and heritage organizations. Emphasis is placed upon research and innovation within all three sectors, with students being encouraged to view museum work through a global lens. Degrees offered include Art Museum and Gallery Education, Art Museum and Gallery Studies, Heritage Education and Interpretation, Heritage Management, and Museum Studies.

North Pennines, UK

When I first contemplated pursuing a graduate degree in Museum Studies, I essentially shortlisted a few qualities to look for in a potential program: 1) that it would require an internship, as I knew how important hands-on experience was to future employers, 2) that it would be affordable and 3) that it would, ideally, include an opportunity to study abroad, preferably in a cosmopolitan city with access to numerous museums and heritage sites. At the end of the day, I wanted to think outside the box and expose myself to new ideas.

Programs in the UK appealed to me because they are highly respected and, more often than not, widely established. I also loved the idea of earning a Masters degree in just one intensive year of study, thereby saving me money and time. Newcastle University, specifically, offered the perfect combination of qualities I valued – an international approach to teaching and learning, credibility within the wider museum community, emphasis on research and critical thinking, practical and theoretical coursework and, of course, a required 8-week work placement, which they’d facilitate on my behalf. Happily, the program also arranged field trips and excursions to museums in places like Edinburgh, Scotland, the North Pennines of England, and Paris, France.

There are typically 60-80 students enrolled at ICCHS, and those students come from across the UK, the EU, parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Most were studying full-time, but some were taking courses part-time or for professional development. Classes occur on a sort of “one week on/one week off” system. Faculty members and lecturers reflect the diversity of the student body, provide expertise in areas like archaeology, technology, preservation, and policy, and have worked for museums and organizations like Robben Island in South Africa and UNESCO.

Holy Island

The group as a whole takes three mandatory classes together, and then students are given freedom to choose among specialized courses in topics like Gallery Education, Art Curatorship, Heritage Management, and Collections Management. Personal stand-outs include Communication and Interpretation, Issues and Ideas, and Interpretation and Exhibitions, where students are asked to work in groups to create a traveling exhibition and an accompanying website in partnership with a local museum. My team partnered with the Great North Museum to conceptualize an exhibition on Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, a historic site and village community in the North of England. We collaborated to curate artifacts, design and launch a website, plan our budget and expenses, partner with the local community for in-kind donations, set it all up, create a press release, and then hold the actual exhibit opening. Courses taken during this module provided instruction on best practices in education, use of technology, and evaluation. In 2006 this was quite cutting edge. As I look back on my professional development, this is perhaps the project I’m most proud of.

Students are required, as previously stated, to complete a full-time, 8-week work placement at a museum, gallery, or heritage site as part of their studies. ICCHS has a faculty member dedicated to helping students find the perfect fit for this internship, mentoring them through a series of check-ins and reports. I interned in the marketing and education departments at Bede’s World, a Candidate World Heritage Site made up of a living museum and two Anglo-Saxon monasteries. My work was meaningful. Not only did I help research the museum’s bid to become a World Heritage Site, which would necessarily provide significant increases in both funding and prestige, but I also assisted in the planning and implementation of the annual Medieval Fair. Finally, upon completion of the work placement, students must write a dissertation of around 100 pages on a research topic of his or her choice.

My experience as an international student is one I’ll always appreciate, but it wasn’t always easy to be so far away from family and friends, and there were times when I was befuddled by English life in general (and especially the infamous Geordie accent!). The University arranged housing for me, which was wonderful, and I was lucky enough to secure a scholarship, which offset about a third of the costs of my studies. Newcastle upon Tyne, itself, is a vibrant city of working class people, stunning architecture, and lots of history. There’s also something to be said for having access to affordable travel to the Continent, and I took advantage with trips to France, Scotland, Ireland, Monaco, and Italy during my year at Newcastle.

Exhibition Group

My only complaint is that, by the time you truly “settle” as an international student in a one-year program, it’s basically time to pack up and leave. I also worried throughout my studies that my English degree wouldn’t “translate” here in the States but, luckily, I haven’t found that to be true. If anything, my employers have been excited by the ideas I bring to the table as a result of my time abroad. Plus, when I meet a colleague who studied outside the States, we automatically relate and bond. There are more of us than you’d think!

I think the best thing about studying at Newcastle is having a built-in network of museum professionals across the globe to bounce ideas off of, and I truly value the life experience I gained by virtue of working alongside people with so many perspectives. Classmates hold positions around the world as archivists, archaeologists, curators, and conservators.

At the end of the day you get what you put in. A student who takes ownership over his or her studies, works hard, goes with the flow, seeks out friendships, and speaks up to ask questions will do well at Newcastle.

Professional Development: Starting the Kansas City EMP Group

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Adam MacPharlain about contributing a guest post. He and four others have been working for a few months to start a new EMP group in Kansas City and wanted to share the good news with our community. I asked him to write a little about their experiences in starting a new group, which he happily obliged. Adam is currently a Museum Cataloger at the Toy & Miniature Museum of Kansas City, and working with him are Amber Courtney (also a Museum Cataloger at the Toy & Miniature Museum), Amy Duke (former Museum Educator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art), Lacy Bettcher (Museum Cataloger, Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City), and Rebecca Rosamond (Retail Associate, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art). Many thanks to all of them for sharing their story, and best wishes with the new group! 

For those of you haven’t heard the word, a new EMP group is forming for the Kansas City metro area, which will serve students and professionals in Lawrence, Kansas. As the group is about to get off the ground, we thought the EMP blog would be a great place to share the experience of forming a new group with two goals in mind: to inform others interested in forming EMP groups on some of the nuances and, of course, to spread the word for our inaugural event.

The Kansas City EMP group has been a team effort, with five co-founding members sharing the load. Each of us has had an itch to start an EMP group in the Kansas City area, but it wasn’t until the Museum Career Lab collaboratively organized by AAM and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in March that we finally found a platform to start. After initial talks between individuals, we met for our first meeting–over a lovely happy hour meal–to discuss our goals for the group and tried to weed through the logistical information for starting an EMP group provided by AAM. We decided that these goals should push beyond social events and networking to include professional development and promotion of local museum activity. However, in order to makes these goals a reality, we still needed a little help.

What better place to go for advice and get information on what does and doesn’t work, than to talk to other established EMP groups around the nation. By divvying out a locale or two to each team member, we were able to send out a brief questionnaire to groups across the country. The questions ranged from how each group was organizationally structured to event aspects. After receiving several great responses, our group met again, reviewed the answers, and decided our first few steps. As AAM does not require a formal structure, we found that established EMP groups varied in how the load is shared, though many have some type of formal or informal structure of officers. Similar to the Cleveland group, we have started our own group with organic roles with each team member taking on the roles that are most comfortable; we will likely form formalized positions once the group gets off the ground.

For our first step, we wanted to send out a “feeler” survey to get a sense of interest. We’re lucky in that we already had a substantial email list from the career lab, and we were able to make contact with the University of Kansas Museum Studies program. We have had nearly 40 responses to date (!) and have found that there are a large number of students; most are focused in registration, curation, and education; and 75% of respondents are interested in history museums, over 50% in art museums, and almost 40% in natural history museums. We also asked questions regarding how often people would like to meet, what type of events they are interested in, and what days of the week and time of day work best.

In addition to the survey, we decided that our first event should be museum-related; after all we are emerging MUSEUM professionals! So after a few more dinner meetings, we have our inaugural event set for Friday, September 7th from 6-8pm, hosted graciously by the Toy and Miniature Museum here in Kansas City. Just like the survey, this will be a chance to meet one another and see where interests lie. Like other EMP groups, we intend to have a mixture of museum-related events and happy hour gatherings. We also want to encourage professional development, offering opportunities including the National EMP career event this October.

In the meantime, we have set up a Facebook and Twitter account (@KCEMPgroup), as well as a group email (kcempgroup@gmail.com). We hope to keep active through social media, posting updates about our events, museum happenings and exhibitions in the area, professional development info, and general info about what’s going on in the field at large.

It has been a fun and relatively easy journey thus far. Though we still have a bit of planning ahead of us, we anticipate a great first event, with 30 RSVPs to date. Wish us luck as we continue our trek into starting a new EMP group!

Event Information

• Friday, September 7th
• 6:00pm – 8:00pm
• Toy and Miniature Museum, Kansas City
• Contact the Kansas City EMP Group at kcempgroup@gmail.com to RSVP or for more information

Graduate Schools: New York University

New York University is the subject of our Graduate Schools post today. Elizabeth Harris is a recent alum who studied at their Museum Studies program from 2010-2012, having graduated just this past May. She previously worked for three years in Development (individual giving and major gifts) at The Jewish Museum, and held internships at the Brooklyn Historical Society, the Guggenheim, and The University of Michigan Museum of Art. She also worked in VIP relations for FITZ & CO, an international communications firm specializing in the visual arts. Elizabeth recently moved to London and now looking for museum work that focuses on external relations, fundraising, and events. We wish her the best of luck!

Name of School: New York University Program in Museum Studies

Location: New York, NY, USA

Program Emphasis: A balance of theoretical and practical studies. Students can tailor classes to their own interests, with courses offered in exhibition design, conservation, fundraising, education, management, and much more.

NYU Logo

Perhaps I put all my eggs in one basket as they say, but New York University’s Program in Museum Studies was the only program I applied to. At the time of my application I was living in Manhattan and working in The Jewish Museum’s Development office. I planned to stay in New York and sought a program that would give me more specialist museum knowledge and also introduce me to professionals in my network. Aligning myself with a prominent university in the city that future employers would recognize was a top priority. I briefly considered the arts administration programs at NYU and Columbia Teachers College, but since I planned to spend my whole career in museums, NYU’s Museum Studies curriculum was the best fit.

The program is completed in two years if studying full time. There are four required courses, four electives, an internship, and a fifty page Master’s thesis totaling 32 credits for graduation. Classes can be taken part time, which is generally recommended for students with full time jobs. Since the required courses and some electives were taught in the evenings I decided to work full time throughout my first year. This meant my schedule was 9-5 (with some evenings) at The Jewish Museum and three evenings a week in class, plus all coursework afterwards. In retrospect I consider this a positive experience which forced me to prioritize my work and juggle projects simultaneously, though I would not suggest this set up for most others. I was one of only a few students working full time, and I was rather sleep deprived and stressed that year!

Apart from the four required classes students can choose whether they want to focus on practical museum studies (like exhibition design or fundraising) or more theoretical museum studies (like political conflict in the museum). Around forty people enroll in the program each year and the class sizes varied. The four required courses (History and Theory, Collections and Exhibitions Management, Museum Management, and Research Seminar) were comprised of twenty to twenty five students. The elective courses were smaller, with ten to fifteen people. I found that the amount of one on one instructor time did not vary with the fluctuation of class size; if a student sought extra help or counseling, they received it. Moreover, since classes are two to three hours per session there is plenty of time for instructors to get to know students and vice versa.

 

MSSO Logo

Forty students is a somewhat large number for a graduate program but I never felt neglected by the faculty. However it is easy to float around NYU feeling anonymous given the size of the school and its location in downtown Manhattan. To combat that feeling, the Museum Studies Student Association works hard to form a distinct community within the University. They help incoming students to transition, host networking events, organize TMS and Raiser’s Edge training sessions (which are not taught in any formal classes), and are a general support network during high stress times like finals.

A criticism of the program that I hear often from my peers is that it is billed as a general museum studies curriculum and that it is misleadingly touted as appealing to history, natural science, and art museum professionals. Actually, the professors’ backgrounds (history, anthropology, history of art, archaeology, and conservation) reflect this interdisciplinary approach. However in practice the program is a bit biased toward art museums in terms of the course curriculum and readings assigned. One professor said that this is a reflection of the current state of museum study literatures. Bruce Altschuler, the program’s Director, is an art historian and former director of the Noguchi Museum; perhaps his background in combination with the literature and state of the field has had an impact on the overall direction of the program. While this bias exists it is certainly still possible to go in a non-art direction with this program; it just takes a bit more initiative. Students are given a lot of free reign in terms of choosing paper and thesis topics and are encouraged to follow their own interests.

Another criticism is the required internship component. I believe this credit requirement should be eliminated: paying tuition to NYU to complete an unpaid internship that the University does not help to secure apart from resume building is not helpful to students. However, it is clearly stated as part of the program requirements upon application, and of course internship experience is necessary for securing a job upon graduation. The faculty suggests that the 300 hour internship be completed over the summer between the first and second year. Since I wanted to stay at The Jewish Museum for as long as possible, I decided to wait to do my internship (at the Brooklyn Historical Society) until the second year, interning four days a week and taking classes simultaneously. This worked out well for me me and I would suggest it for students in a similar situation.

I had a fantastic experience in the NYU Program in Museum Studies but I think only certain types get as much out of it as I did. First, those interested should have a general idea of what they want to do with their careers. There are many options presented to students and these can be overwhelming without a long term plan: practical versus theoretical studies, a range of internships and part time jobs in countless museums in NYC, and many opportunities to meet all sorts of people in the field. Second, I think it is best to attend this school if you plan to stay in NYC after graduation. Many of the professors in the program are working professionals, and classes visit museums and engage with even more working people. These contacts, and the NYU name, do not necessarily translate outside of New York, an issue I am grappling with myself as I try to find a museum position in London. Finally, I think the program is best suited for those flexible enough in their interests to pursue both practical and theoretical work. They will both be required at some point (since there are four required classes) and I noticed that many of my peers would lose interests if a required class focused too much on budgeting rather than Foucault…or the other way around. I believe that this balance of practicality and the theoretical is important for training successful museum professionals and is one of the greatest strengths of the program.

Making Meaning: The “Other” EMP

Our guest post today is from Mark Schlemmer, Assistant Registrar for Collections at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. He has an MA in Museum Professions with a concentration in Museum Registration from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. Prior to his museum life, he worked in Europe for many years, ten of which were spent in Spain where he managed the Legal Translation Department of the Barcelona Bar Association. He is an avid traveler and amateur photographer. His current dream destination: Istanbul. I met Mark at the AAM Conference in Minneapolis this last year; he was the only person who came to talk about the blog during my “open hours” at the Museum Expo, and he had a mission. He wanted to raise awareness for a group of EMPs that most people don’t give much thought to, a topic that’s been very meaningful in his own career, and I jumped at the chance to have him contribute a post. I want to thank Mark for writing so honestly about the topic and sharing his story. I think it’s illuminating for all of us, regardless of where we are in our career. 

Who do you think of when you hear the phrase “Emerging Museum Professional?” If you’re like me, you immediately conjure the image of an engaged and ambitious twenty-something, perhaps a person just out of college or grad school, someone eager to make their mark and form a professional identity within the non-profit cultural sector. Of course you wouldn’t be wrong to think in these terms. However, that’s not a completely accurate picture. By definition, I’m an EMP, but I fall well outside of the expected demographic. I am in my first years of museum work, but I’m also a mid-career changer who redirected my professional life when I was in my late-thirties. I already had an established career in teaching and translating, but found myself pining for an entirely new work life. My experiences as an EMP do echo those of most of us just starting out in the museum world, but there are some distinct differences and challenges that impact someone who is entering this field for the first time when they are in their thirties, forties, or even later.

Like many of us, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in order to solidify my knowledge base, update my academic credentials and hopefully give myself a competitive edge over other job applicants. I chose my university program very carefully after discussing my goals and aspirations with those already in the field. I knew that my interests and skill set placed me in the registrarial field of museum work, so I sought out a program that would let me focus on this area. In the fall of 2006, I started classes in the strong registrarial track in the MA in Museum Professions program at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. It was at this time that I encountered the first challenge that my younger colleagues didn’t have: returning to academia after about a fifteen year absence.

That first grad school paper was agony, but after a few months things definitely came easier once I got used to producing and processing opinions and ideas again. The reading load was also a bit of a shock, but again, I quickly adapted to the frenetic rhythm of university demands. Luckily, my program was a good mix of students who were right out of their undergraduate studies and those returning to school after a break of many years. I had allies in the program that understood and empathized with the collegiate hiccups that the more traditional students didn’t seem to have. I had anticipated that the transition into grad school would be a somewhat grueling ordeal, but I was entirely surprised by the next difficulty: getting an internship.

One of the requirements of my MA program was to complete an internship and we all know that landing one is not exactly easy. After the first semester, my classmates and I eagerly went about applying for these coveted summer jobs. Over the next few months, I sent out about thirty different applications. I felt my resume was strong and my experience relevant, but I couldn’t help wondering why I wasn’t getting any offers. Was I doing something wrong? One of my colleagues was interning in the registrar department of a museum I had sent my application to. Upon receiving my resume, the supervisor asked my friend if she knew me. During their conversation, the supervisor said that she liked what I had to offer, but was completely reluctant to hire me as an intern solely based on my years of professional work. She said I had “too much experience” and doubted that someone who was previously a manager could be an effective intern. It was an unjust argument that I unfortunately heard over and over.

Luckily, I finally was able to convince someone that I would indeed be a capable intern and that even though I did have years of work experience, I was more than willing to undertake the tasks typically assigned to a very junior staff member in order to learn the ropes in a new field. Through the contacts I made at that internship, I landed an interview for a second one at a different museum. Not surprisingly, the registrar there, who would later become my boss, voiced the same doubts I was now accustomed to hearing. I convinced her that I knew what I was getting into and projected myself as an intern with added bonus skills rather than one who would resent the work with which he was tasked. Clearing this hurdle helped prepare me for the next major one in my quest to become a museum professional: landing the first job.

Getting a museum job is perhaps one of the most challenging things any of us will go through. The number of viable applicants more than surpasses the number of available positions. I landed my first museum job, in fact the one I still hold, at the museum where I completed my second internship. Through mostly luck (I can admit that!), a position opened up in the registrar department just as I was completing my studies. I interviewed, was hired and started work in July of 2008 as the Registrar Assistant for Collection Exhibitions. I was thrilled to be gainfully employed in a field that I had painstakingly sought out after many years in another professional field. I loved the work I was doing, but was surprised to discover an emotional challenge I hadn’t fully anticipated: starting anew at the bottom rung of the career ladder.

In retrospect, I should not have been surprised by this. I thought I was well prepared for such a radical shift, but logic and feelings don’t always align well. I knew the position I had was clearly at the level I needed to be since registrarial work is so very specific to the museum world. I had the theoretical background and some applicable experience through my internships, but I needed to gain a lot more insight through on-the-job training. Initially, I struggled with this emotionally. I doubted myself for taking what seemed like huge step backwards with respect to my overarching professional path. I felt compelled to justify to others, myself included, why at almost 40 years old I was no longer a management-level employee. I loved the museum work I was doing, being connected to incredible art and bringing exhibitions to fruition, but I frequently felt a pang of, well, regret. It took me a long time to truly convince myself that I didn’t care what other people thought. I was working in a field that totally thrilled me, filled me with awe and rewarded me with such a high level of fulfillment that the title on my business card was completely irrelevant.

Four years into my professional museum life, I now work as the Assistant Registrar for Collections at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. I’m a mid-career changer and an EMP who still grapples with how to better combine my past professional life with my current one. However, I now look at it as an opportunity to exploit rather than a difficulty to overcome. Some of my grad school colleagues were able to more seamlessly connect their past and current professional lives, and I commend them for it, but I also know that my experiences are not unique. For those of us who are coming to museums (somewhat) later in life, the obstacles of returning to school, landing an internship as an “older” applicant and forging an emotional acceptance of starting anew professionally are challenges we all have to deal with. Fortunately, the rewards are many. Additionally, groups like the local AAM-EMP affiliates around the country exist to help make all of us, even those of us with gray hair and receding hairlines, feel integrated and supported in our leap into the incredible world of museums.

Graduate Schools: Johns Hopkins University

This is our first jointly-written post about Graduate Schools, highlighting the Johns Hopkins University program in Museum Studies. Jillian Becquet and Brian Rayca both graduated in May 2012, so they’re very familiar with the current practices in the program. Jillian is the Exhibit Project Manager at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History in Corpus Christi, TX. She has a passion for material culture and object-based learning, and her goal is to teach someone something every day. Brian is a Museum Technician at the West Point Museum in West Point, NY. He started his museum career by volunteering at the Battleship New Jersey in Camden, NJ, which sparked a passion for museum practices. I also wanted to point out that Brian is the first man to contribute a post to our blog, and I’d like to congratulate and thank him for being a bit of a trailblazer amongst EMPs! 

School: Johns Hopkins University

Location: Online classes and one one-site seminar (2 weeks, in US or abroad)

Program Emphasis: Museums in the digital age; self-directed focus based on course choices

It’s no secret that there’s a variety of opinions about online degrees. The Johns Hopkins University Museum Studies program benefits from the many advantages of the online format without the large classes and impersonal experience many assume are a hallmark of online education. The program’s unique structure and dedication to small classes, personal relationships, and an engaging educational experience make the JHU program not only effective but especially advantageous for the working museum professional.

The student body is made up of people from all levels of the museum field, including some wishing to gain their first museum job. It takes a unique student to prosper in this 90% online program. Group projects are common in many of the courses so flexibility when working with students all over the country (and sometimes the world) is key. One gets a unique appreciation of time zones.  It’s important to be self-motivated enough to check into class every day (or at least every other day) because discussion board postings are an important (and graded) part of the teaching process. A typical class has several weekly discussion boards, a handful of papers, and a large final project or paper. Many classes conclude with live presentations to your classmates and professor online. There is no thesis; instead, each class has a large, usually very hands-on and practical, final project or paper. These certainly hone your research skills like a thesis would, and create a great portfolio to take with you to interviews. Internships are available can can count as a class.

Stop by and visit JHU students and professors at AAM and many other museum conferences around the nation

The strength of JHU is the community, both of students and professors. It’s easy for on-site programs to say they have community and a network because students are forced to encounter situations to build these things. At JHU it happens organically. Our tight-knit community is built around the technology that brings classmates and professors together from homes and workplaces around the world.  The classroom site (Blackboard), Skype, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Docs and other tools all are ingrained in our daily studies. We build this community both inside and outside the classroom, and many of us count each other as friends even though we may live in different countries and have never met in person. The JHU program is represented in dozens of regional and topical museum associations in the country, and students often get together with others from their area to visit museums and socialize. The professors are all current museum professionals who work in museums around the nation. They’re “in the trenches” just like the students, and serve as great resources for both class work and professional ventures. Here’s a map showing where students, faculty and alumni are from.

London 2011 seminar group outside of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London

The highlight of the program for most students is the two week seminar. This is the only course that takes place in-person and is offered in the winter intersession and each summer in a variety of locations domestically and abroad, including London (where we attended together in 2011), Barcelona, San Diego, Chicago, New York City, Washington DC to name a few. The London seminar is made possible through the cooperation and partnership of the University of Westminster.  During the seminar we visited dozens of London museums and worked with the Museum of London on our final projects. These were easily the two most intense weeks of our academic careers, as we spent every waking minute in class, working on homework, or visiting sites around the city. It was tons of work…but we all loved it and I think any of us would do it again!
It’s common knowledge in the field that experience is king, but also that graduate degrees are increasingly in demand.  The ability to pursue a degree without the limits imposed by full-time classes makes Johns Hopkins’ program stand out. Coursework can be completed from anywhere one has internet access. Blackboard even has an iPad App.  The unique flexibility of the online program allows students to take professional opportunities as they arise even if they are in a different city.  Students’ travel, either professional or personal, is not dictated by the demands of the classroom, because the classroom travels with them.  I know we both appreciated that freedom during our two years and know of other students who took full advantage of this ability.  The active alumni group enjoys speakers and opportunities for engagement far past graduation. There is even a “Alumni Ambassadors” program that pairs alumni with newly admitted students to help them get started and comfortable in the program!  The program provides several scholarships, and the alumni just founded one to cover the cost of the seminar for one student. Although these opportunities are not as plentiful as funding at some schools, most students find that their ability to work up to full time during the program can help them get through financially while they gain valuable on-the-job experience.

Some critics of online education make it seem as if those promoting it believe that online education is the “way of the future” for all students. If there is one thing museum educators know, it is that people learn in various ways.  Not every student can be successful in an online program. Johns Hopkins is right for the self-motivated museum professional who can balance school, life and work/volunteering. Working while taking two classes (there is the option to take more or less than that) is challenging, but it’s rewarding to be able to immediately practice what you learn in class.

Over half of the graduates gathered in Baltimore for May 2012 graduation to toast their achievements

In the final analysis one has to determine what is the best way for them personally.  There are a lot of practical advantages to attending the Online Museum Studies Program at Johns Hopkins, for us it was ideal that a fine University with a sterling reputation offered us a chance to come to school without having to uproot from job and family, and in the process joined a larger community of new friends and fellow museum professionals.

In addition to their website, you can also find out more about the program on:
Facebook

Twitter

iTunes (for an example of a seminar project–these won the Honeysett and Din Student Award from AAM! Both namesakes of the award are JHU professors.)

Flickr

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On a more serious note, Jillian and Brian requested that I include this, and I have no problem doing so. Our thoughts go out to the Wiechmanns and we hope for a full recovery. 

On the morning of August 1, JHU alumna Kayla Wiechmann (class of 2011) and her sister KrissaMarie were hit head-on by a drunk driver. The drunk driver was driving on the wrong side of the interstate. After 12 hours of surgery and numerous broken bones, Kayle and KrissaMarie are recovering in hospitals in Missouri, away from their homes in Nashville and their families in South Dakota. The JHU alumni, students, and faculty have started a fund to help with the expenses the family occur while caring for the two women. Please take a moment to send Kayla, a fellow EMP, and her sister KrissaMarie kind thoughts, good karma, and prayers as they make difficult recoveries far from home.

News: http://www.kmbc.com/news/kansas-city/3-injured-in-wrong-way-crash-on-I-435-in-Claycomo/-/11664182/15909496/-/cn2uacz/-/index.html

Donations: http://www.giveforward.com/jhusupportforkayla

Cards via the hospital: http://www.libertyhospital.org/Visitor/ECards/Index.htm

Professional Development: Lessons from Vacation

I took my first professional vacation last week, that wasn’t just a long weekend but an honest amount of time visiting a place. Specifically, I went with my husband to Kentucky, a state that neither of us had been to before. It was exciting and relaxing, and I always appreciate new experiences. But I feel like I have to make a confession, to tell all of you the dark secret about my trip.

We didn’t visit a single Museum.

It sounds horrible, I know. Whenever my museum friends go on vacation, I love hearing about their plans to visit famous institutions. Traveling is an excuse to see what other places are doing! But that wasn’t on the agenda this time around. On another trip it may have been different; for example I can’t wait to go back to Washington D.C., which I haven’t visited since I was 14 and hadn’t decided to work in museums yet. And I’ve never been to New York, or anywhere in Europe. There’s not a chance I would get out of any of those places without some museum-going. Someday, my mind will be blown by the world-class institutions that are out there and I’ll probably need a vacation from my vacation just to recover.

But, Kentucky had some surprises in store. You may have noticed that up above that I rather obviously said “Museum”

Historic Marker at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, KY

with a capital M. While I intentionally avoided places that had the term “museum” attached to it, we had plenty of exposure to informal education. In fact, we couldn’t turn around in Kentucky without being taught something. There were what felt like dozens of historical markers in downtown Louisville and around the town. Almost every exit along the highway highlighted a historic site or place worth visiting. The bourbon distillery tour we took was straight out of a museum education handbook. Not to mention the self-guided tour at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill or the one at the Perryville Battlefield (neither of which accepted my AAM membership, much to my dismay). Or, for example, that 2-day camping trip to Mammoth Caves National Park we took. It was obvious everywhere we went that people in Kentucky had taken great care to ensure their history and uniqueness was proudly displayed and shared with everyone who visits.

So, ok. I may have exaggerated when I said we didn’t visit any museums. But in many ways it felt like we didn’t, choosing much looser – almost informal – experiences over those of the official museums in the region. There were plenty to choose from too, ranging from the Louisville Slugger Museum to the Kentucky Derby Museum, not exactly small names. I wouldn’t be surprised if we visited them next time, but it wasn’t right for our first trip.

Ultimately, what’s my point and why did I label this as professional development? It’s because I felt like I learned more about how to engage your audience with information than I would have by visiting any true Museum. Nina Simon recently wrote about what lessons she learned from monks brewing beer, and how that model can impact non profits, and I couldn’t help but draw a similar connection with education techniques. To me, my non-museum vacation in Kentucky increased my appreciation for breaking down the barriers of reaching people and getting them excited about a place or idea. In just a few short days I left feeling connected to the spirit of the place. I can’t wait to go back to Kentucky and see what else I can discover.

Storage Warehouse tour at the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Frankfurt, KY

At the end of this is the thought that there have to be a lot of similar stories out there. I’d love to welcome comments and discussion on two topics here:

1. I know there are many of us that have learned “museum lessons” from non-museum settings. What have you found to be the most inspiring? What sorts of things have you taken away and applied to your professional practice?
2. How do you handle visiting museums during vacation? Are they the focal point of a visit or something to do casually? Or do you also have a dark secret and choose not to visit any during your time off?

I’m curious what people’s responses will be, so please add your experiences below!

Graduate Schools: Cooperstown Graduate Program

I have to apologize for there being no Tuesday post this week! I had plans to discuss lessons I learned on a recent vacation to Kentucky, and will try to put it together for next week. In the meantime, here’s our next installment of our Graduate School series, with a post about Cooperstown. Cate Bayles, our author today,  is currently completing her degree from Cooperstown and will be graduating in May 2013. A native of the Chicago-land area, she is spending the summer between her first and second year of school interning in exhibition development at the Field Museum of Natural History. She has a passion for educational programming and believes that through community outreach and creative partnerships, museums can become conversation generators and agents for social change. In her spare time, she has begun a blog about her experiences as an emerging museum professional. 

Name of School: The Cooperstown Graduate Program (CGP)

Degree: Master of Arts in History Museum Studies from the State University of New York College at Oneonta

Location: Cooperstown, New York

Program Emphasis: Interdisciplinary – students take courses in administration, collections, exhibitions, programming, and a variety of other museum related topics

Premier. Unique. Dynamic. Interactive. The Cooperstown Graduate Program has been called a lot of things – but it has never been called ordinary. When you stop and think about it, a person has to be pretty exceptional to want to move to the middle of upstate New York and throw themselves full force into two years of intensive museum training. And yet, from day one, you know you’re not alone in your passion, your drive, and your thirst for knowledge. The Cooperstown Graduate Program (CGP) brings together a small class of innovator thinkers from all over the country. As a team, we embark on a project-based and community-centered program that is committed to training creative, entrepreneurial museum leaders devoted to services for the public good.

Master of Arts in History Museum Studies

History Museum Studies, you say? Don’t worry – I wondered the same thing. What is history museum studies? The only program of its kind in the country, CGP students strive to study how art and history are agents for social reflection and public dialogue. I do not have a background in history and have enjoyed the challenge of my courses and the opportunity to learn from my classmates, who come from a diverse range of academic fields (everything from studio art to African American studies). CGP’s curriculum includes core classes in administration, collections, exhibitions, and education, and the program favors projects and participation over tests for evaluation. In addition to courses, each student completes a written thesis or thesis project based on original research their second year. Most important to know is that CGP values real world experience paired with traditional learning. Internships, volunteer placements, field trips around the Eastern seaboard, and projects all propel students to think outside the box (and outside the classroom).

Community is the cornerstone of the Cooperstown Graduate Program. We have all dedicated ourselves to the development of strong institutions that play a central role in the village of Cooperstown and in the communities we will journey to. CGP trains professionals who believe that museums are vehicles for conversation and creators of reciprocity. Projects we do in class are implemented in area museums and have a real impact on the people who visit them. For example, all first year students contribute to our collection of local oral histories, CGP Community Stories. Additionally, a summer internship between the first and second year allows students the opportunity to experience more of the country and explore a range of academic interests. Some of my current classmates are working in collections in Alaska, administration in DC, education in Nantucket, and oral histories on a de-commissioned missile site in North Dakota!

Located on scenic Lake Otsego, the CGP’s newly constructed building is the first structure in the country built solely for museum studies. The student friendly class room building includes exhibit space, a media lab equipped for oral histories and film editing, and a lounge overlooking the lake. Students get to know the campus extremely well, as the program requires two years of full time study. Approximately 15-17 students make up each class of CGPers – guaranteeing that the program will never have more than 35 students at one time. Students hail from all around the country and world – bringing valuable insight about the diversity of museum audiences. Every student receives partial funding for both years of study; with the possibility of a full stipend TA position their second year. Four main professors and a countless number of adjunct faculty from the New York State Historical Association act as teachers, mentors, student counselors, and thesis advisors.

The CGP building is located on Lake Otsego and boasts beautiful views no matter what the season!

One of only two programs in the country located on a museum campus rather than a university campus, students have the chance to regularly work with museum staff at the Fenimore Art Museum, Farmers’ Museum, and New York State Historical Association. The NYSHA Library, a short walk from the program building, serves both CGP and the public. We even get an individual carrel and have 24-hours a day access to the facility! In addition, the close proximity to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the Glimmerglass Opera Festival means added entertainment and internship possibilities during the year. What’s my favorite part of living in Cooperstown? Not only is there a year round farmer’s market with locally grown produce, but there is a parade on almost every national holiday (and some just because!). Harvest Festival, Pumpkin Festival, and Winter Carnival – I couldn’t even begin to list them all! CGP encourages us to get involved in Cooperstown and become a part of life there. Students are embraced as members of the community and immersed in local festivities, organizations and businesses.

The small number of the students and intensity of the Cooperstown Graduate Program mean that each class often becomes an extended family, growing from each other both inside and outside the classroom. The seventeen members of my class have worked together on countless projects and learned how to function as a unit, supporting each other in our individual endeavors and coming together to collaborate. Regional potlucks have become a staple, as we share our traditions from across the country. From field trips to Boston, New York City, and Montreal, to holiday parties and nights around the piano, we come together to bond in museums and outside of them.

This summer, the Class of 2013 is working on a blog all about our experiences interning. I asked my classmates what type of student they think will succeed at CGP. *In their own words, “CGP is for creative risk takers who are on the cutting edge of museum practices.” The program is a place for team-players who want to learn equally from professors, colleagues, and real world applications. This type of “varied experience is perfect for someone who wants to become a well rounded future museum professional, and more importantly, a well rounded person.”  At CGP, I find myself working along side future curators, exhibition designers, educators, collections managers, and fundraising officers. In the process I am learning how to cooperate with a diverse group of individuals who have different strengths and a similar goal – to enter the museum field as learners and as leaders.

The Class of 2013 at the Fenimore Art Museum

Every moment at the Cooperstown Graduate Program is an adventure – one that I hope you will consider during your graduate school search!

*A big thanks to CGPers Christina Parise (Intern, Newport Restoration Foundation) and Emily Lang (Intern, Museum at Bethel Woods) for contributing to this post.

Graduate Schools: University of Toronto

Our second Graduate School review comes from Megan O’Connor, whose museum passion is collections. Having graduated from the University of Toronto’s Master of Museum Studies program in June 2011 with a focus in Collections Management and Registration, she is now pursuing a Diploma in Collections Conservation and Management at Fleming College, and embarking on a career in the conservation of archaeological and ethnographic material. Many thanks for Megan for bringing us an international perspective on programs!

Name of School: University of Toronto

Degree: Master of Museum Studies

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Program Emphases: Museum Education, Information Management and New Media in Museums, Collections Management, Museum Ethics, Curation.

Going into the Masters of Museum Studies (MMst) program at the University of Toronto (U of T), I knew I wanted to work with collections and have access to internship and volunteer opportunities during my studies to build a solid resume before graduation. U of T offered one of the only graduate level programs focused completely on Museum Studies in the country, and it was in a great city with access to Canada’s top cultural institutions, so off I went!

With a variety of available focuses, the 5- semester MMst program currently has an average of 35-40 students per year, and between 7-10 faculty teach, depending on course offerings. Students are expected to complete core and elective Museum Studies courses, however there is ample room in the course schedule to enroll in elective courses in other graduate departments to balance out their education, for example, I was able to take courses in the Information Studies and Anthropology departments.

The program is both academic and professional, so the coursework consists of lectures, discussion, research, and practical projects. A thesis option is available, though not required. Some courses have an emphasis on research and essay writing, while others have major practical projects. For example, in a course on visitor studies, visitor surveys are conducted at a museum in the city and a report is produced, while in a cultural policy course a research paper is expected. Exams are not as common, but not unheard of, for example in a course dedicated to preventive conservation and the museum environment a final exam completes the semester.

There are two major projects conducted during the course of study that most students engage in. During the summer between first and second year, students are expected to complete a 12-week unpaid academic internship at a cultural institution of their choice. I completed my internship in the records department of the Excavations of the Ancient Athenian Agora in Athens, Greece, while other students took on placements across Canada, the USA, and the UK. There is funding available for internships, though it does not cover all costs. The second major project, optional during the second year of study, is a full year course that culminates in the development and installation of an exhibit, or exhibit related project. This course is quite fluid and can take many forms. Students can join in groups and develop and curate an exhibit of their own design, groups can curate pre-established exhibit projects pitched by major cultural institutions in the city, or they can take part in an individual project contributing to a larger exhibit project. I found this course to be defining of my experience at U of T as it allowed me to engage my newly minted curatorial, collections management, registration, and project management skills. Though these two ventures are typical of the MMst experience, if you require some flexibility (e.g.: your schedule does not permit an internship) there are other ways of meeting graduation requirements.

Student life at U of T is very stimulating. As Canada’s largest city, and one of the largest in North America, Toronto is a cosmopolitan venue for all types of experiences, cultures and personalities. The St. George Campus, where the program is held, is in the heart of downtown. The Royal Ontario Museum is located right on campus and is open to interns and volunteers, I was able to secure a volunteer position there for the duration of my studies. This museum, along with others in and around Toronto, host regular field trips for MMst students. Though not required for graduation, volunteer, internship and paid experiences at museums during the school year are abundant in Toronto for those who actively seek positions, and if you manage your time effectively it is quite easy to put in a few mornings or afternoons of work per week. Positions (especially volunteer) are not necessarily advertised, so keen networking and active engagement with institutions is generally required to secure a spot. Networking is a key aspect of any EMP’s career, and the MMst program can be used as a platform to connect with local and international professionals. Being friendly, open, and self-confident goes a long way in networking, and graduate school can be a great opportunity to practice your skills, if you make the effort. There is also an active graduate student union that organizes social events, brings faculty and students together in social settings, and provides a voice for the program at the Faculty of Information.

In my opinion, the defining feature of the MMst program is the diversity of available courses. Many career paths can be explored through this program. My fellow graduates have gone on to education, administrative, financial, collections management, visitor engagement, and exhibit related positions in museums and cultural institutions. One drawback to a diverse and interdisciplinary program is that students can feel a bit directionless at times. However, a variety of course options can be a positive aspect if you are going into the program without a defined idea of what direction you career will take and you are seeking to experience many aspects of museum work. If you do have a set career goal you can tailor your course schedule and internship semester to your decided path, but can also experience courses outside of your desired focus, providing insight and new ideas that will inform your future career. Another drawback is class size, with a yearly intake of 35-40 students, core courses are necessarily quite large, and the smaller elective classes range from 10-17 students.

This program is best suited to those who are self-directed and open to new experiences, but are also capable of working in teams in a classroom or workplace setting, a requirement of many course projects. Course work is demanding, full time, and generally completed within two years, though flexibility is available depending on student circumstances.

Graduate school is no cakewalk, and my advice to prospective Museum Studies grad students is that you will get as much out of your program as you put into it.

Best of luck to all future Museum Studies graduate students!

Graduate Schools: Case Western Reserve University

Today brings us our first Graduate School review post! We’re starting strong with a look at Case Western Reserve University from Bethany Corriveau, a 2010 alumna. Bethany is currently an Audience Engagement Specialist in the Department of Education and Interpretation at the Cleveland Museum of Art. She considers herself a rofessional museum nerd, specializing in museum education, interpretation of the normal and mobile sorts, internship management, and programming. Her mission in life: get you as geeked about art as she is. Bethany is also the co-chair of the Cleveland EMP Group, and managed their impressive blog on local EMP subjects. 

School: Case Western Reserve University

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Focus: Art history, with an (optional) museum studies component that provides an overview of museum departments and offers opportunity to specialize through internships at the Cleveland Museum of Art

When I started looking at grad schools, I had two basic criteria: one, find a program with a good art museum nearby, and two, find a program that offered the opportunity for full funding. For the first, I knew that I wanted to specialize in art museums, and for the second? Chalk it up to sheer practicality in the midst of a recession. No way was I taking on more student debt! In looking to find a grad school that fulfilled both of these requirements, I found Case Western Reserve University’s MA program in art history and museum studies.

This program isn’t strictly for museum studies. It’s primarily an art history program, so if you’re looking for a general degree, go elsewhere. But for aspiring art museum professionals, Case’s biggest asset is its close relationship with the Cleveland Museum of Art. The two institutions run a joint program, with classes held in the museum classrooms and galleries; ample internships available for graduate students; plenty of lectures, programming, and research opportunities; and one of the largest art libraries in the United States.

To complete the museum studies portion of the degree, MA students take a museum studies seminar over the course of two semesters. During the course, CMA staff give talks, advice, and direct feedback to students as they develop exhibitions from start (almost) to finish, including writing labels, completing loan requests, and developing programming. (Unfortunately, they aren’t actually installed!) In addition to this course, students must complete two internships for credit either at CMA or elsewhere – although at CMA they are guaranteed a placement over any outside applicants. Although there is no thesis requirement, one of these internships must include a substantial project of similar difficulty to a thesis requiring independent, original work and a high degree of responsibility. (For my project, I worked on the museum’s audio tour, Art Conversations, which included writing a set of stops about the Portable Altar of Countess Gertrude.)

In addition to the museum studies component, students take a number of art history courses. However, these will often include museum-related assignments and activities, and most require object-based research for final papers. Some classes correspond with exhibitions (I took a class related to the Paul Gauguin: Paris, 1889 in the fall of 2009); some will include research on museum objects (as in the Methods class required of every student); and some will even give you opportunity to contribute to curatorial projects (as in Dr. Catherine Scallen’s Connoisseurship class, in which students researched museum objects with questionable attributions). Before graduating students must also pass comprehensive exams and display reading knowledge of one approved language.

Case’s program is fairly small, ranging from 7-10 students in each class. Members of the graduate program run GAHA (the Graduate Art History Association), the Slideshow@MOCA juried slide exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland’s College Night, and the annual Cleveland Symposium. The small class size makes it easy to get involved in such endeavors.

Now, back to the funding – it’s pretty rare for accepted students not to receive full funding and a stipend for either working in the museum or doing a teaching or research assistantship. The stipend, while larger now than when I went there, is still not going to cover everything, but if you budget carefully and work a few extra hours at an on-campus job or Starbucks or the like, you can get through without taking out loans. (This is my number one piece of advice to aspiring museum professionals – DO NOT TAKE OUT LOANS.)

Constantly struggling to pay the bills was far and away my least favorite part of grad school, but I think the end result was worth it: the internships I did at CMA led to a fellowship placement after graduation and ultimately (O museum holy grail of holy grails!) a full-time job doing exhibition and permanent collection programming and mobile app content development. I also had the freedom to stay in that fellowship for a while, even though it was part-time, because I didn’t have to worry about large student loan payments. If I’d had to make those every month, the last two years would probably have been a very different story.

My post-MA trajectory is not necessarily a typical experience; there simply won’t be enough open positions every year for all graduates. However, the availability of internships and ease of networking helps ensure that Case grads do have a leg up on the competition, as demonstrated by those currently working there as curators, educators, registrars, library staff, and more. Case is also well represented at other art institutions and collections around Cleveland, including MOCA Cleveland, the Progressive Art Collection, and the Cleveland Clinic Art Collection. Outside Cleveland, Case grads have worked at the Isabella Stewart Gardner, the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Getty Foundation, and the Tate.

To sum up – go to Case if you’re looking for an art history, art museum-centered education with both a strong academic component and emphasis on practical museum career preparation. And funding. Definitely do not underestimate the power of funding.