Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at Girl Museum? What goes into making the online museum that you know and love? Well look no further, because our team at Girl Museum have kindly offered to give us an insight into their lives and what they do to make the Girl Museum world go around…
Behind the scenes with the Girls of Girl Museum continues with our Education Advisor Hillary Hanel!
Hillary Hanel inside the Ford Piquette Plant in Detroit as part of an NEH Workshop for Teachers.
How did you first get involved with Girl Museum?
As I was finishing my last year of my bachelors degree I wanted to get more experience in museums. I was going to school full time and working two jobs already, so I wanted to find a flexible internship. What is more flexible than working for a virtual museum, where I could use study breaks to do research and write, all while wearing pajamas! I searched and searched for an opportunity that would fit my schedule, and Girl Museum seemed perfect. Luckily, it was focused on a subject that I was very interested in. I was so nervous for my Skype interview with Ashley, but it went great and I’m still part of the team 5 years later!
As Girl Museum’s Museum Education Advisor can you talk us through your typical Girl Museum day?
Every day is different! Being virtual means lots of emailing back and forth and collaborating on Google Docs. One day I might be helping interns put together an education guide for a new exhibit, and the next writing and recording a podcast. I love that I am able to work on different types of projects with people from around the world!
As an online museum, what do you think Girl Museum can achieve that a physical museum cannot?
Girl Museum has the potential to reach so many people! The staff and volunteers live all over the world, which allows us to have many different perspectives as we create content for the museum. Visitors can easily access the entire museum from anywhere with an internet connection. Physical museums are starting to have an online presence and digitize their collections, but it is unlikely that they will have 100% of their offerings online for all to access.
Finally, do you have a favourite exhibit from the Girl Museum catalogue? If so, then why?
My favorite exhibit is STEAM Girls! I was honored to co-curate the exhibit and interview some amazing artist/scientists. I love the timeline of STEAM Girls throughout history and the photos from the ASM Agar Art Contest. I think that it is so important to connect the arts and the sciences and this exhibit really shows that.
Stay tuned for our final interview (for now?) with our newest staffer, Instagram guru Chloe Turner!
-Rebecca King
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.