MASS MoCA

Museum Guide Intern

July 2020 • North Adams, MA

What I liked

I liked how tightly knit the community among the employees was- the environment was so friendly and upbeat. There was also never a boring day, there was always something interesting happening. Working in a museum as well, there are patrons who are there to view the art and learn about it. So, my most favorite part was teaching patrons about the background, history, concept and process of the art, and seeing how that interested them or changed their perspective of what they were viewing.

What I wish was different

The days were quite draining, as we had to stand for eight hours a day. It was hard to get used to, however it felt rewarding at the end of the day knowing I accomplished a day filled with teaching others and making people's days.

Advice

This job is centered around patron engagement- you have to be able to be conversational, engage the visitor in a way that perks their interest of talking about the art, and educating them of the backstory. The most important aspect of this job is the conversation piece, and if a visitor is willing to listen to you. The main piece of advice I have is to peak visitor interest by being casually conversational about the art- that is the most effective way to educate people about what they are seeing.

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