Who: Matthew Doyen.
When: December 7th.
Where: Waco, TX.
One of the best parts about working in a museum is getting to meet and talk to a bunch of different people. Usually, this is within the museum setting as an educator, but sometimes opportunities arise to have those encounters out in the public. The Mayborn Museum and the Museum Studies department were given such an opportunity at Waco ISD’s inaugural Putting My Career in Motion Middle School Career Fair. Because the event was in the rush of the holiday season, the museum staff asked graduate students to step in to promote careers, programs, and all things interesting to the 1,000 students in attendance.
We decided to have three different areas that we were going to focus on: collections, programming, and education. For our collection’s aspect (and our wow factor!), we borrowed items from the teaching collection that the students could touch and handle. The soft yellow-shafted flicker was the most popular, but the baby alligator, tortoise shell, bobcat skull, possum tail, and bird eggs were all curiously observed. They often noticed the animals from a few steps away and would yell, “Is that real?!” Once we assured them that they were real (but not alive), many came over and seemed interested in the process of collecting.
If we saw that they were really interested, then we would guide them over to our flyers that described the museum studies program at Baylor and the many careers that are offered in a museum such as in facilities, security, public relations, design, and interpretation. After that, we asked them to be a part of a little participatory activity and to write down their dream job on a strip of paper. We collected them, made them into mobiles, and displayed them in the museum break room so that we can be inspired to create new programs that they would be interested in attending.
All in all, it was a really great day. The students who came by our table were really interested in museums, both working in one and just visiting them. It’s always fun to get the opportunity to share a passion and it’s an extra plus to be around friends while doing it. The best part, however, was just talking with the students and connecting with them in a way that only museums can accomplish.
Written by: Matthew Doyen