Over the course of my year as graduate assistant in Learning and Engagement, I had the opportunity to work on so many different projects in the department, and to acquire and develop skills that directly relate to and reinforce what I’ve been learning in my Art Education graduate program. I was welcomed into and given access to learning from many of the ongoing projects in the department, all of which gave me a deeper understanding of museum teaching that I think will serve me well in my future career endeavors. Here are some of the highlights, and aspects of my work at the museum that I’m the most proud of:
 

• I was able to work with Kimberly Datchuk, Josh Siefken, Lauren Lessing, and the SEAC team to propose and develop two K-12 teacher resources from start to finish.
• I contributed to several in-gallery teaching activities and got to experience the process of collaborating as a department on this project, from brainstorming, through execution and editing. 
• I got to spend time learning from and eventually working on adding to a program with Amanda and the Connected for Life team.
• I led two Stanley Creates programs, developed and presented a smART talk, and gave a presentation to older adults through CFL.
• With oversight and input from Kimberly and input from Beth Pieters from Iowa Education Services for the Blind, I wrote and revised alt text for images on the Stanley website as well as a collection of descriptions to be used with the StoriDot app at the museum.

Through all of these different projects, I was lucky to be able to spend a lot of time looking closely at art in the Stanley collection, which I loved. The research element of this position was also really enjoyable to me. I was excited to find that so much of my work at the museum connected directly to what I’m learning in grad school, and I’m so grateful to everyone on the L&E team for their openness in allowing me to engage in many aspects of the department and use my assistantship as a place to learn about museum education and grow as an art educator. With the move into the new museum building, and the grand opening coming up in the fall, this was an exciting time to be a part of the Stanley team, and I can’t wait to visit the museum as soon as it’s open!