Museum Geek. History Junkie. Tour-Giver Extraordinaire.

When I was 17, I “borrowed” my sister’s car and headed downtown to volunteer at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Amid the eerie tableaus and ancient dioramas, I pushed educational “Stop Spot” carts. In the African exhibit, I showed children a collection of items Zulu men would take on hunts. In front of the Pacific Island displays, I demonstrated how tapa cloth is made.

I was hooked.

I attended undergrad at Earlham College, a small school in Indiana, and I spent the summer before my senior year in Nashville, Tennessee. While there, I worked two jobs: at The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, and at Travellers Rest Plantation and Museum. Both sites involved costumed 3rd person historic interpretation. As a Wisconsin native, the hot and muggy Tennessee Summer—combined with long dresses, petticoats, and bonnets—was almost unbearable. Despite that, I still think of those jobs as the most enjoyable I’ve ever had. I loved inviting the visitors to learn and experience the feel of the houses. This was also my first encounter with the smell historic houses all seem to have. Old paper, well-worn wood, and slightly dusty textiles all come together to create a scent I’ve come to cherish.

Maybe it was that smell that brought me back to museums, and led me to the Museum Studies masters program at Johns Hopkins. Now I’m finishing that degree and hoping to continue a career in museum education. In the meantime, I’m trying my hand at this whole blogging thing.

Join me, won’t you?