Exceeding Expectations

by Ashley Rand

Museum at Work has finally come to an end. I must say I learned way more than I originally anticipated. When I started the project in May, I had no idea how much I would take from this experience. I found myself in this final week at CAM looking around and realizing everyone has an important role. Entering in the museum on Monday, I watched as one show came down, the preparations to get the next show had started. In fact, the next show doesn't open until August 17th, however it takes a lot of time to set up the gallery and paint the walls to get everything into order for things to get accomplished. On Tuesday, the art work for the next show had come into CAM. While Shannon checked everything in and other museum staff helped as well, moving things around so the crates would fit, you realize just how sturdy and heavy they are to transport all the work. Although the art work came in on Tuesday, you can't just open up the crates and check out the artwork right away because it needs to adjust to the temperature and sit for a day or so. After sitting, the artwork needs to be inspected, and a long process of documenting the condition of the work begins (including photographs and reports that go along with a binder so each time this show is shipped, the next museum has an idea how it left our hands). In theory this sounds quite easy, however it indeed takes a lot of time to piece together, but none the less, it is a very important step in putting the show together.

Although the internship is finished, I don't believe this is the last CAM has seen of me. I plan on volunteering during this next year to get some more insight on how every aspect of the museum is run; I feel there is always something more to learn. I look forward to expanding my mind and learning more.