Mary Kate's Work Showcase
Museum Contributions
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Internship
For this internship I worked as a consultant from the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum (CSPM), to help a founding institution, the Colorado Springs Day Nursery (CSDN). Some of the tasks I completed for this internship included assessment of artifacts at the CSDN that were in need of proper preservation, combining theory and practice for the redesigning of the Heritage Room Exhibit at the CSDN site, developing our overall skills as a team while demonstrating individual leadership, conducting provenance from primary sources of local history, and implementing best practices of the collection management of artifacts. The rich history
of the CSDN is continued to this day by Early Connections, the stewards of the historic building and Alice Bemis Taylor’s original mission. Taylor's philanthropic legacy continues to be
felt in Colorado Springs, where several institutions are either founded by her or bear her name. Though I am not native to Colorado Springs, it was an honor to contribute to her lasting legacy in this small way.
Museum Education
The final proposal and accompanying PowerPoint is a course spanning project created for the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum (CSPM) show the importance of creating programs with the mission of the institution in mind. Tasked with creating a course encompassing educational program for the CSPM using items in collections or on exhibit. (Note: an exhibit for your program could NOT be made for your program specifically, meaning you had to use items already on display or connect items on display with items that could be pulled for the education room from collections.)
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My program, Little Quilters Drop Off (LQDO), was created for K-3rd grade students attending the CSPM Pioneer Women’s Craft Fair Event. This program highlights regional histories, geometric shapes, pattern making, and the American history of the stories told through quilts. This program highlights learning objectives through the intersection between math, history, and fun. The final proposal document shows all informational facts for the program's consideration with support from class readings, Colorado academic standards and regional research.
Gallery Tattoo Exhibit
Introduction to Museums class projects covers a wide range of overarching museum topics. From the starting foundations in which today's museums are built, the role museums encompass, missions, ethics, and laws applied to museums, collections policies, education, and exhibit design components, to the fundraising and the economic impact of museums. Attached is a collection acquisitions proposal for the Denver Art Museum. This PowerPoint of Kathe Kollwitz was made from the viewpoint of a collections manager and curator looking to fill gaps in the current collection holdings. Also included is a tattoo exhibit design and education proposal for Gallery of Contemporary Art (GOCA), reviews of field trips to various museums, and a detailed examination of the Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Please note the topics covered in this course are also applied to other museum classes and the contents of those folders, including Museum Education, Collections Management, Tech Writing via Fund Raising, and Innovation 3010 via Exhibit and Fundraising Event for J. Janus.
Collections Management
The management of collections development, preservation, storage, and care of items held in the public’s trust is the ethical responsibility of a collecting institution. This folder contains an Accessioning Proposal for the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum (CSPM) and a Deaccessioning Proposal. Both examples are real-world items the CSPM is considering for refinement of their present collections. These proposals include all provenance found and collected on each item with suggestions in which to move forward based on the provenance for the Museum Advisory Board to consider.
Museums For All Grant Proposal (Technical Writing)
This proposal was invented to demonstrate the grant writing process for 501(c)(3) institutions as the course spanning project in Technical Writing. The grant created was based on the need for museum diversity in visitor engagement, collections and staffing. By connecting The Ford Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the proposal for Representation and Education for All was created. In supporting Representation and Education for All, the cultural significance of minorities would be used to not only expand on existing exhibits and create new culturally diverse exhibits but also allow for educational programs in the museum setting. A large effort must be made to bring in underrepresented museum visitors, which can be accomplished by hosting free memberships for minorities, paid field trips from low-income schools, and educational programs held by museum educators. This folder contains all relevant research on the program proposed, as well as a detailed examination of the institutions involved in the form of a grant proposal.
Curate an Exhibit - Flora Influence Exhibit
The final project for this class was to curate an exhibit using works covered in class with the option of creating your own work to add to the exhibit. The last work in this exhibit is a painting I created as a method of interpretation of Mary Cassatt's, Lilacs in the Window, ca. 1880-83.
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Flora Influence
This colorful exhibit will explore the antiquity of flowers in various artistic periods from the 17th century Mughal Empire, the late Baroque style of Rococo, Impressionism, and a contemporary interpretation of Post Impressionism from today. By studying the different influences from antiquity and finding the iconographic meaning flowers hold in these famous works, a central theme emerges as to why artists find flowers a favored complement in the composition of the subjects of their works, and in some cases the central subject altogether.
Exhibit Design - Making Sense of the Stars
This course-spanning exhibition project was created for the 2023 Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Festival following the theme of Under the Stars. Our class exhibit was called, Making Sense of the Stars: A Cultural and Scientific Exploration of Our Universe contained concepts ranging from Astrology, Navigation, Timelines, Current Exploration, and Cultural Perspectives.
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Though all decisions pertaining to the theme, take-home messages, and content of our exhibit were decided as a class
My team's specific section was Current Exploration and the future of space tourism. We explained some of the big advances such as the James Webb Telescope, and the Artemis Missions including; the Orion Spacecraft, SLS Rockets, Moon Orbit Station, Moon Landing Module as well as the newly designed spacesuits for the Artemis III mission. We also explored the new space tourism industry, such as the Spaceship Neptune.
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My personal goal as a self- described science nerd, was to show guests some of the exciting new technology being used and some literally out-of-this-world advances coming via space discoveries.
Museums and Meaning
This critique and proposal for the redesign of the Ute Nation Exhibit at the Crested Butte Heritage Museum aims to accomplish a transformative shift in the museum's narrative approach. By critically examining and identifying deficiencies in the current exhibit, the proposal seeks to empower the Ute Nation and foster a more authentic, inclusive representation of their history in a culturally appropriate narrative. Drawing on best practices and frameworks for source community co-curation, it advocates for the
transfer of curatorial authority to Indigenous voices, confronts uncomfortable truths, and challenges Western academic modes of representation. The goal is not only to rectify historical inaccuracies but to create a dynamic and respectful space that seamlessly integrates the Ute Nation's past, present, and future, enhancing the museum's mission as an educational resource and contact zone for diverse audiences. Through collaboration with source community members, this initiative strives to celebrate cultural contributions, promote understanding, and elevate the museum's impact as a mindful moral educator within the Gunnison Valley.