National Museum of the American Latino - Camila - Week 3

This past week was a short week for me because I was traveling for the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Youth Awards LOFT Institute. Because of this, I only had 1 virtual day and 1 day at the gallery this week. The days I missed, I am making up in August.


Me at Hispanic Heritage Foundation in San Antonio, Texas

Despite my short week, I was able to make progress on the scavenger hunt project and its 9 different stops. I researched things like artifacts, permanent and temporary displays, consulted museum maps, and did research on the history behind some of the artifacts I considered. The time management skills I practiced during Washington Week really came in handy during this short week. I also began looking for some pictures to embed in the game.


At the learning lounge, I began to notice more and more how much of a safe learning environment it really is! There is something for everyone to enjoy, and a lot of the things on the shelves spark visitor’s interest and curiosity. I really appreciate how interactive the learning experience is. I also went around to the gallery and looked at some objects and guided guests on how to use the large touch-screens in the main space in the gallery.


On Tuesday, July 25, I had my story time! My story time with a Young Ambassador was at a library in Takoma Park, Maryland, and Francisco came with me. I had a group of about 15 to 20 kids in addition to their parents. The children seemed to enjoy the story time, and we got a lot of great feedback about going out into communities and being involved with the local community. Since we had a younger crowd, I guided the activities on the packets and also let them have creative liberty. The library intern had also set up a mural activity – since that is what the book is about. The paper was taped to the table and children made their own mural! Bintou (library intern), Francisco, and I taped and put up the mural on the wall. We also helped Bintou in test-running a scavenger hunt she made for a future event in the library. Going out and seeking connections in the internship location community has been one of my favorite activities so far. I really enjoyed reading out loud and seeing kid’s imaginations. 



Today, Wednesday, July 26, I worked at the Capitol Gallery offices. I continued to make progress on finding individual objects and descriptions for the scavenger hunt, while intermingling some unique Smithsonian fun facts. Josh (the community event/program coordinator for the National Museum of the American Latino) had a venue to check out for the NMAL’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Josh, Natalia, Francisco, and I checked out the venue. I gained insight on what it takes to construct and plan an event from scratch and better cater to guests. For example, I took notes while Josh and the venue owner had a conversation about discussing all the different parts of the venue that the regular person might assume is included or might forget about. Josh asked about loading docks for supplies and food and access to mics and speaker systems. From the venue owner, I liked that she referred to the space as being "activated" instead of just "used". It really highlights what the NMAL team wants for Hispanic Heritage Month which is to highlight American Latinos already in the United States and their presence. It seems so complicated to plan events, especially with NMAL's smaller team and Smithsonian restrictions, but they make it work really well. I was very impressed with the collaboration it takes to make an event happen even with just 2 parties, but within those parties there's different departments, teams, and procedures.



Reflecting back on the internship so far, I'm grateful to have experienced everything from project development, to storage facilities, and now venue contracting and event planning.



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