Onward and Upward and Eastward

I am very excited and proud to announce that this fall I will be starting a Masters of Fine Arts in Museum Exhibition Planning + Design at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pa! In this program I will study the development and design of museum exhibitions, and I can't wait to take this next step in my career.

In anticipation for my departure to the city of brotherly love, I have been packing in as many Seattle extracurriculars as possible. After completing two welding classes at Pratt Fine Arts Center, I have started a Beginning Jewelry and Metals class there. I am hoping to develop skills in soldering and brazing which translate directly to mount-making.

I also completed a five-week course in Adobe's In-Design- software that is used frequently in exhibition design. I was able to put these skills to use by laying out the object and specimen panels for the upcoming exhibit, Wild Nearby while working with the Burke's Exhibits Department last week. This exhibit focuses on the North Cascade mountain range, and the work of Burke researchers in this fascinating area.

Additionally, I have been volunteering in the Mammalogy Department at the Burke Museum since February. While there I prepare study skins of mammal specimens. In other words- taxidermy. These stuffed specimens become part of the the museum's collections and serve as potential objects of study for future researchers.

Later this month I will resume volunteering with the Archaeology Department. Previously I had worked with them sorting and organizing materials collected from a dig on San Juan Island, WA. Now I will be helping to log this data into National Park Service software. This is great experience as I hope to someday work for the NPS!