Since the last update, the Salem Museum has now opened to patrons which have been nice to see the daily workings of the museum. This means that an integral part of the job, interacting with visitors, has now been added to my experience. It has tested me on the knowledge of the museum itself: where the exhibits are, details about them, how they connect to Salem, and how the patrons can interact within the exhibits.
Within the past few weeks, I have been asked to do particular tasks around the museum other than interacting with the visitors. I have prepared the signage for two exhibits, worked on accessioning new artifacts into the collection, researched two specific topics for a new exhibit, and created the signs for another exhibit. For me the research feels like a visual paper, gathering the information and selecting what is most important for the public to be aware of. However, I struggle with pairing down my information from the collegiate way I have been trained to write and it has been frustrating to attempt time after time to get the facts accessible and digestible within the specified area. I think this is something that I have struggled with overall but it is especially seen within this field. I do believe this will also help me within my own writing later as I will be able to pair down what I am saying to the bare-bones facts.
It has been interesting to see the different factettes of museum life but one thing I am drawn to is the quieter aspects such as research, placement, creation of the exhibit itself. The physical aspect of researching the topic and finding information on that particular thing that could change the way I’m researching has intrigued me. Choosing what information will be prioritized within the exhibit and how it will be displayed is important, and it’s something that I enjoy. Especially the placement of items within the exhibit, how they are seen on the walls, how they connect to the artifacts, how they connect to each other and the story they tell together is important. For this, I have included the photo of finished signs that will be displayed regarding the silhouette of Andrew Lewis and the id tags for photographs within the Civil War exhibit.
