My name is Sarah Baker and I was a marketing and communications intern for the Miami University Art Museum (MUAM) this summer and I am continuing my internship into this fall. A little bit about me, I am a senior here at Miami University studying marketing and interactive media studies. I am very involved on campus and in the community through my service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. During the school year I also have two jobs. I work as a student assistant in the University Physics Department as well as working as a certified Pharmacy Technician at a local pharmacy. I have lived in and around the Oxford area all my life so I am very excited to get to work for MUAM this year as an intern.
My first experience with MUAM was when I was in Girl Scouts during elementary school. My troop took a field trip to MUAM. I remember participating in some fun activities and checking out the exhibitions with my friends. In particular I remember going outside and walking around the sculpture park. It was such a fun experience for me back then! Since that time I have visited the museum many times and enjoyed it just as much as my first visit.
Just before hearing about this internship opportunity, I visited MUAM for the winter opening of the new exhibitions. I had decided to go to support some of my friends who had been collections interns in the fall and see all the new winter exhibitions. However, I remember talking to my friends that came with me about how few students attended the event and how many people we knew that would have enjoyed it so much. I also remember several of my friends saying this was the first time they had visited MUAM and they were nearly seniors.
When I heard there was a marketing and communications internship opportunity here at MUAM I jumped on it. As a long time community member and now a student as well, I know there are a lot of people that have never visited this amazing museum but would really enjoy it. As a summer intern I got the chance to help create a plan to get more people to come to the museum. This fall I am continuing this work with a heavier focus on some digital and web based projects.
The museum has some really great exhibitions on display this fall and I want everyone to get the opportunity to enjoy them. My personal favorite is Welcome to America by artist Carol Hamoy. Welcome to America features wedding gowns, dresses, skirts, and a variety of other garments adorned with the stories of immigrant women from around the world dating from the late nineteenth century through 1992. The installment is hauntingly beautiful and the stories they tell are equally so.