Although I introduced myself briefly in the very first post here I feel that since we started our Meet the Staff series I owe you a little more. Therefore I decided I would put myself in the hot seat and answer my own questions for you. Hopefully you are enjoying this series, I know I am!
There I am!
Job Title: Curatorial Assistant
Where are you originally from/What do you consider your hometown: I was born and have lived much of my life here in Warner Robins, GA. While an undergraduate student I lived in Valdosta, GA and I called Carrollton, GA home for the first year of graduate school. Growing up in this area, the Museum of Aviation was part of my childhood. I can remember coming here from the time the Museum opened 1984.
Tell us a little about your educational background: I completed my Bachelor of Arts in History at Valdosta State University in 2005. Currently I am working on a Graduate degree in Public History and Museum Studies at the University of West Georgia.
What sorts of hobbies do you enjoy or what do you do in your free time: I enjoy lots of things, from spending time with my family to sports. I have been cycling for almost 12 years now and enjoy playing most team sports. I like the outdoors, camping, hiking and will be running my first marathon in April of next year. I also am a huge fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Thrashers, Atlanta Falcons and Valdosta State University Blazers.
How long have you worked at the museum: I started here February 1st of this year (2010), after completing an internship here at the Museum for my graduate degree last summer.
What does your job entail: My official government title is “Student Trainee – Information and Arts.” The program stipulates that you be currently working towards a degree to participate in it. The trainee status means that I get to participate in what I like to call “a little of a lot”. Mike Rowland, our curator here at the Museum, does a great job of exposing me to the many various jobs and duties that are part of museum work. Exhibit research, copy writing, and handling some of the social media (including this blog) for the Museum are just a few of the day-to-day things that I do.
If you were not working here at the museum, what kind of job would you like to have: Prior to starting on my graduate degree I worked in law enforcement, so more than likely I would still be in that line of work. I also enjoy traveling a lot, so a job that allowed for that would be nice.
How does being a museum employee change your experience when you visit other museums: I look more closely at the exhibits. Small things I may not have noticed before like captions, mounting and spacing stand out now.
What is your favorite aircraft or exhibit at the museum and why: The B-1B (for reasons explained partially here) would have to be my favorite aircraft that we have here at the Museum, with the MH-53M coming in second. My favorite exhibit is Down to Earth, which I recently posted a video walk-through of here. The exhibit is our newest and therefore more closely mirrors many of the concepts I have learned in my graduate classes. Down to Earth tells a powerful story and in my opinion is the best exhibit we have here at the Museum of Aviation.
