From 2x4s to MLK Day

January 18, 2011

I used to believe that all a job took was passion. As long as I found a job I loved doing, then the rest of the work would do itself. But after two quick weeks at the Indiana Historical Society working as an intern, I can?t believe how naive that idea was. Just looking past the coffee cups, cold medicine and smiles, I began to understand how much effort is really given into doing a job correctly, even when the passion is still there.

The first day I arrived ready for anything, or so I thought. It turns out high heels aren?t the best thing to wear when doing deconstruction work. But days two and three of the deconstruction work went much smoother for me. Inventory, dry wall, and 2x4s became part of my daily routine. Everyone at IHS had put in a great effort to build the 1945 grocery store, and now had to watch it be torn down so that a new exhibit could take its place.

The last two days of that week I spent in the Marketing and Public Relations Department assisting where I could with sorting out advertisements, sitting in on meetings and looking through requests from organizations asking for donations so that IHS could send tickets and books. Also, I was given a few different tours through the Conservation Lab, the library and the vault.

My final week was spent with the Interpretation Department following facilitators and watching interpreters interact with museum guests. There were so many different rooms to be in ranging from the fancy Cole Porter Room, to the 1914 violin shop, to Destination Indiana, to the History Lab. Friday morning, I even tagged along to a radio interview as Amy Lamb promoted Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

When Martin Luther King Jr. Day finally came around, so did the guests. People poured into the doors ready for all the available activities the museum has to offer. I assisted in putting on wristbands and directed people as to where things were located.

I have had a great experience interning at the Indiana Historical Society and would strongly encourage other interns to come. There were so many people available and willing to speak with me about their own personal experiences with their jobs, and specifically about IHS.

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