When people ask about my career, they always look surprised when I respond, "I'm a museum professional." The most common reaction I get is, "That's a job?" I had the same thought when applying to my position nearly four years ago. Combining art, science, history, and public education, the cultural tourism industry is the best field humanities majors have never heard of.
As a junior in high school, I knew I wanted to do something in education. In the context of my small, rural Midwestern high school, my vision was clear: As one of the only students who read Charlotte Bronte for fun, I had to become an English professor. When college applications became imminent, English Education seemed like the clearest direction.
Had I done more research prior to applying to IWU, it's probable I would never have added a degree in education. It hadn't occurred to me the intent of my second major was to coax reluctant 10-18 year olds into constructing five-paragraph essays or identifying persuasive language. I thought it would help me lead great discussions on beauty and contemporary philosophy over lots of coffee. (Would that it were so simple!) With increasing frustration, I realized my "calling" wasn't to teenagers but to texts and begged my advisor to let me drop the Education program. "I want to teach students who already LIKE reading," I protested. Both she and my English advisor assured me that the longer I could experience time in the classroom, the more marketable I would be to the few jobs that did exist in higher ed.
I hesitantly stayed in the program in faithfulness to my professorial aspirations. To cope, I sought out alternative classrooms. Beyond practicing in public high schools, I gained experience in an Ivy Tech English Comp. course, an adult literacy non-profit, and a private school in the UK. Still, I didn't know where to look for jobs in what I called "alternative education." It took just five months after graduating and starting work as a full-time English teacher to admit that I could—but did not want to—be a traditional teacher. I left after the school year finished and prayed there was another way.
What I know now that I didn't then is that the opportunities are broad for those who love people and communication. After a few weeks of scouring the Internet for anything related to "education" or "writing," I landed on a posting at a museum just 45 minutes South of IWU's campus. The description for "Visitor Experience Manager" wasn't totally clear, but I had experience with customer service, public education, and management. So I applied.
Since the job required three to five years of museum experience, I figured I had no chance and was frank in my interview. I was honest about disliking the traditional classroom but believing public education is essential. I was honest about loving to teach, but not exclusively teens. I was honest about wanting to "make a difference in my community," but not knowing how. It was my background in English and education, with a vision for something different than the norm that landed me my job.
Working for a museum or any non-profit often requires wearing many hats. It took about a year and a half to understand all the parts of a job that is still constantly evolving. In the museum field, my department (Visitor Services) primarily involves customer service. In our museum, my staff (Visitor Service Assistants) not only run our front desk, admissions, and sales, but they also roam our 40-acre campus interacting with guests, facilitating family activities, assisting with programs, and leading tours for groups ages Pre-K to seniors. A third of my time is spent hiring, training, and managing our eight to 13 member seasonal frontline team along with event volunteers.
In order for my staff to do their jobs, I am also responsible for ensuring visitors get up-to-date and accurate responses to their many questions. I respond daily to inquiries like, "What is there to do at Minnetrista?" or, "Is this event something my nine-year-old son would enjoy?" Because my job is to ensure excellent visitor experiences, I work regularly with our Horticulture, Collections, Education, Exhibits, Facilities, Theatre, Development, HR, Retail, and Events departments to get resources and information into visitors' hands.
Finally, I am responsible for ensuring visitors have activities to do when they arrive--and have a great time doing them! Much of my time is spent developing and leading programs for up to ten thousand visitors. As a museum programmer, I manage three family play spaces, lead around 35 programs a year, and have written over 70 self-guided exploration activity cards. Because we are a cultural center that serves a broad audience, I work with other community businesses, organizations, and schools to develop these events. As of today, I've developed over 45 partnership-led programs on topics ranging from stormwater management to the history of glass art.
Like other classrooms, museums vary in size, subject matter, and even funding. But also like classrooms, all museums offer the privilege of working with experts in a variety of fields and ample amounts of diverse experiences. Whether you're an extrovert like me or prefer quiet research, museums are an excellent option for putting a passion for learning into practice.
Allison Clark is a ‘12 IWU alum with a BS in English Education and a minor in Honors Humanities. She was the first English major to complete the Mary C. Dodd Honors Program through the JWHC. Since graduating, she has taught high school English and currently works at a museum and cultural center in Muncie, where she lives with her husband Brian, who pastors and teaches theology, and their two cats Boots and Soren (Kierkecaat).