My Time at the Philbrook Museum of Art

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Congratulations! You have explored the upper level of the museum. Now for one last adventure, imagine that one artwork could come to life. Which one would you choose and what would happen? This is how I ended the new Family Gallery Guide, my largest project to date at the Philbrook Museum of Art.

I had written scavenger hunts for children before, but when I was assigned the job of writing an entirely new interactive guide to the collections for kids and their families; it was both an honor and a daunting endeavor. I wanted to write something fresh and dynamic that would excite children about looking at art and teach them without it feeling like work. What resulted was a series of adventures, one for each floor of the museum, and a fourth for the sculpture gardens, that takes the reader through the permanent collection to look at sculptures, paintings, and learn fun facts along the way. For example the main level adventure, Who Am I? leads families on a hunt for several portraits in the collection by only giving them detail images of the art and then providing them with clues to guide their way. With each portrait, they learn the story behind the art and are given questions to encourage active looking. At the end is a hands-on activity that gives them a chance to play and use their imagination. The activity for this level is to draw a portrait of themselves with sketchbook and pencils provided.

This is just one of the many experiences that I have had while working as an Education Assistant that have encouraged me to take the next step and earn my masters. Another has been introducing a new way to engage the public with our collection, geocaching. Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt utilizing GPS technology th...

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...uding the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition, Living Arts, the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa, and the Oklahoma Visual Arts Council. As a member of the Board of the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition, I have initiated such efforts as a new series of members’ events, having boosted active participation in the organization and with the goal of growing our membership base. For the Oklahoma Visual Arts Council I have served on several planning committees such as the Tulsa Art Studio Tour in 2008, and Momentum Tulsa, both in 2008 and 2009. Momentum Tulsa is an annual exhibition showcasing the work of emerging Oklahoma artists. In 2009 I served as co-chair.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have spent in Tulsa and working at the Philbrook Museum of Art, however, I am now looking forward to returning to school in order to hone my skills and learn from new professors and peers.

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