End of the Internship

This week was my last shift at Crowley for the internship, but it will not be my last visit to the museum. I still have many more placards to create and install. However, my internship certainly ended on a high note. I added several new signs to the museum displays using the research I had conducted for the series of posts on Facebook. One of these new signs completed a section of the museum display cases that I arranged to teach visitors about the important role of direct-to consumer marketing that began with companies like Sears Roebuck and how the popularity of these companies led to reduced prices and the viability of general stores in rural areas - like the one depicted at Crowley in the museum building. In designing the signs and arranging the artifacts, I wanted to make sure that exhibits were cohesive to the narrative of a late 19th century general store, while including items whose uses, or branding might still be familiar. The exhibits will still need editing, and I suspect that the museum will need to set aside more storage space for donated artifacts that are not from the correct era for the museum's narrative.

One of my favorite aspects of interning at Crowley has been identifying artifacts in the collection. Somehow every visit has led to hours of researching and at least one particularly exciting discovery each time I've been assigned to the museum building. During my final shift, I was invited by Dixie to take photos of artifacts that might prove interesting for future Facebook posts as I intend to keep writing these posts for Crowley even after the internship is concluded. While examining and photographing the vintage sewing supplies on display, I happened across a particularly interesting thimble in a lovely case. After analyzing the manufacturer's mark on the case and the markings on the thimble, I was able to determine that this was a 14kt gold thimble created by the Dennison company in 1892 - indicated by the inscription "M. 1842-1892" which suggests the thimble was commissioned in honor of a wedding anniversary. With a little research, I found out that the Dennison company specialized in fine jewelry - especially rings - for which they made custom ring boxes that resemble the one found with the thimble and later expanded their range of products to include high quality thimbles made with the same fine metals.

As my internship has been reaching its end, I have invited feedback not only from Dixie, but from other volunteers. The response has been unanimously positive, but I have actively encouraged people to offer their suggestions ad I readily try to implement feedback by adjusting the exhibit layouts. Dixie and my fellow volunteers were especially pleased with a sign I created for the welcome center. Instead of a placard for an artifact, the sign in the welcome center encourages guests to follow Crowley on Facebook and has a QR code I generated that is linked to the Crowley Facebook page. The idea for the sign came from a discussion with Dixie about the importance of technology in museums in the digital age. The sign is a small way to incorporate technology at Crowley while hopefully assisting in digital marketing.

This may be the end of my internship, but it is certainly not the end of my volunteering at Crowley. Crowley will forever impact my journey into the museum field, and I am immeasurably grateful for the opportunity.