Final Reflection

I have really enjoyed being an intern at the Arizona Museum for Youth. I had the opportunity to work with the people behind the scenes that patrons don't usually get to see. One particular experience was to take part in the setting-up of an exhibit. Everyone helps in different aspects, and I was able to work on the artwork's labels, see how they were done, and then to create the children's activites.

I feel that I have really grown with this opportunity! When I started, I had NO CLUE how to create a manual for anything and I was very worried and not looking forward to reading EVERYTHING about the museum and then what would I do from there? But after MANY, MANY hours of reading and meeting with multiple people, and then designing the layout, I produced a very successful manual for a "one stop shopping" for the Educators.

I also feel that I have grown in the design aspect because of the FamilyZone design project. I was also nervous with this because I had never done something like that, but I was able to work with the other intern and I loved working together and feeding off each other's creativity. It was a learning experience because we originally came up with idea one and then different problems came up that we had to change the ideas and to figure other ways to accomplish what we wanted. I am very excited to see this project get underway and then see it completed.

I have been VERY luck to have this wonderful, learning and growing experience. I have worked with many creative and very impressive people that have ideas come out of no where. I immensly enjoyed the time I had at Arizona Museum for Youth and it will always have a special place in my heart! When I finally have kids and they are older, I look forward to taking them to AMY and let them interact in a world that I was raised in and love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mission Possible: Communication

The opportunity I feel my organization could improve in is their communication. There are 11 employees at the Arizona Museum for Youth and they are all in a small area, but what they tend to have troubles with is their communications. Of course they have their different departments with different ideas and goals, what I have experienced is that they get stuck in that and don't bother to inform others of their goals and ideas and on going projects. For example, the FamilyZone that we are working on improving (which by the way we just got our proposal approved and we are working on getting it underway! Exciting!), my mentor (curator of education) decided that the area really needed fixing up so she assigned me and another intern to that project. So we started to design and get ideas, but when we all met as a staff to talk about what was going on, it turns that the marketing department already had an intern starting on that project. So of course we just joined forces, but still, they have their marketing ideas and we have our designing ideas.
Along with that, they were setting up for the next exhibit and the design team was working VERY hard to get it done. Well my mentor was working on getting the kid activities done for the same exhibit, but they didn't talk about both their goals and try to work some time out...they just decided that it was a great time do it and it was good in their schedules. Of course at that time (so close to the opening within hours) tempers flared because of the lack of communication and it did get done but with mintues left.
The museum is such a great place and they accomplish so much and have so much going on in their schedules with such a small staff list. I feel that if they were to start communicating between the different departments then things would happen better and smoother. The education department has a department meeting every week, the staff only has a meeting once a month if even that.
I will give credit to the Marketing Head because she just recently noticed the overlapping of projects and no communication and so she is now pushing for a weekly newsletter that will have the various projects going on and who is over seeing them.
If I were the boss, I would really support the weekly newsletter. I know that days can be busy and so there's not always time for weekly meetings, but the newsletter really would not take any more time out of their schedules and would actually save them time in stopping the project overlap.

Questioning the Mentor

I was able to sit down with my mentor (which was hard enough to find time since she is always running from one meeting to another) and had the chance to ask her questions.
I only had about five minutes so I chose just a few that I was really interested in learning.
The following is what I found out:

What types of challenges do you face?

budget cuts, and meeting deadlines since they are constantly changing exhibits every six months.

How do you deal with deadlines stress, difficult people and internal politics?

She said that she uses good sense of perspective that allows her to step back and see the bigger picture and to be thoughtful. Also with dealing with difficult people, she said that she usually tries to be diplomatic and use tact and patience and she also tries to consider the fact that people tend to react with emotion and react from that.

What do you like or dislike about your position?

The museum is dealing with budget cuts and so her answer included her frustration with that. She also said that she dislikes having to deal with staffing and the decisions that come with that area of management.

What is your ideal work environment?

She really enjoys the environment she's in which has mutual respect throughout the employees, one that allows creativity and problem solving, good communication and functioning teamwork, and lastly, one that allows flexibility whether she is working on the road, at home or in the office.

How has your education and experiences prepared you for your position?

While getting her BA, she was able to have a teaching position that taught her how to make lesson plans and to change the content according to the audience whether child or adult.

Lastly, Who do you most respect?

It was a three way tie for her.
Sr. David Attenborough and E.O. Wilson both for their great job of educating people about the natural world and what's really out there.
Ricky Gervais, a British comedian because humor is what keeps her going.

I have really enjoyed working directly with her and all that I have learned. I am very sad that my internship is coming to an end. I wish that I could continue in this position because she has her hands in everything and has something new everyday to learn or teach me. I have really appreciated Arizona Museum for Youth for the opportunity they have given me.

Make sure that you make a visit there...it's really worth seeing whether you are a child or not.

Little Shadow-er

I shadowed my mentor this week. She is the Education Curator for the Children's Museum and I never really knew what a curator did. I just thought it was them choosing the art work and that was it...WRONG! In her case, she gets to work between 8 and 9 (sometimes even earlier depending on the day). Then most days, she goes from one meeting to the next, back-to-back, and she sometimes doesnt's even have time for lunch and when she does, she rarely eats out or away from her desk.
The meetings she goes to? Well, one is to plan the tours for the Educators that give the tours to school groups. She and another team member map out the areas of interest for the children and then create the activites.
In this museum, the two exhibits are always changing every six months, so she is in charge of creating the next exhibit ideas, meeting with the Museum Director for approval, and then handing it over to the design team.
She is the one that gives the interns (me) things to do. I've done and/or am working on the emergency evacuation plan, the familyzone ideas, the Gallery Educator's Guide, the dPlan (emergency plan for the art collections), taken photos of all the staff and Educators and the list continues on. All of these go through her, which is AMAZING! She is just everywhere and always has great ideas.
I feel that I have learned so much with working with her becuase she has her hands in everthing and so I was able to experience things that come with museum work, but also the sidelines that most people don't get the opportunity to see. It's great and I am VERY sad that my internship is coming to an end.
I am so thankful for the opportunity that I had to work with under an amazing person.

Online Resume

This is the link to my web portfolio:

http://sites.google.com/site/katyvhanchett/

What the Future Holds

The other day, my husband and I were talking about my internship and the fact that I enjoy it. He then asked me, "Is it some place you can see yourself at after your internship?". My answer? Definately!! Since my main focus has been on the Educator's Manual and then will move to the FamilyZone, I feel like there is so much experience for me to be a part of. Each day, I get the opportunity to interact with the staff and see behind the scenes how things work. Just the other day, I got the opportunity to help put up the new exhibition that was opening that afternoon. You don't realize what exactly happens with that process until you are apart of it. The main thing that I love about the Arizona Museum for Youth is that they are art based but focused on the children and giving them the opportunity to learn from the local artisits AND be an artist with the hands on activities available.
I feel as though, I could be apart of the AMY Team in many different aspects. One way would be in their exhibitions design. That is something that I feel connected to because it is creating something for others to enjoy. The other aspect, among others, would be the new program they are creating that is focusing on bringing in Autistic, Mentally handicapped, and other children that do not otherwise get the opportunity. This program would be an ideal area for me because I am so drawn with interest to those types of children. I feel that have much to communicate and teach us and that we can teach them better ways to communicate with the world through art. This is something that I would love to do as my career after graduating.
I got a small glimpse of working with an Autistic child, and it was so rewarding to make a connection with him, but also sad because he was not sure how to fully communicate aside from his already aquired ways. Because of this short experience, I am eager to get involved with those children in the AMY program and connect with them through the power of art.
Already what I have learned from my internship with AMY will carry on to my career choice. I feel that being apart of the design of the FamilyZone and the Educator's Manual has taught me to consider all ages and abilities in designing. Also, to consider, in the design of the Educator's Manual, that anything I incorporate into the manual will help them better their skills so that the experience with the children will be a very enjoyable, learning experience...and not just by the Educator teaching the children, but the children teaching the Educator. I have incorporated many articles and tips in the manual that suggest to them ways for them to be flexible and laid back, but also to ask the right questions so that all children are comfortable answering and teaching everyone in that tour.
I don't think that I would ever move from this type of atmosphere to an educational setting. I am more of a "behind the scenes" type of person and would prefer not to be the teacher, but be the one to train and provide the proper atmosphere and props for the teacher to connect with the children. That is where I get the most fulfillment.
Lastly, the only thing that I dislike of my internship is that there is not more time to be apart of all the aspects of the museum. I would love the opportunity to work with the curators, the designers and all the other aspects that make the museum. That is why I would love the opportunity to join the team of Arizona Museum for Youth. I feel that I have much to offer in children of all ages and abilities discovering art.

Child-filled Design

The first concept from my concentration of child development is that providing an environment of learning, a place that they can play, interact, touch, smell, and more, will support the development of their motor skills. I have the opportunity to provide an environment in the FamilyZone at the Arizona Museum for Youth. We are looking at a park setting that will give the children a place away from the museum to rest, have snacks and drinks that are not allowed in the exhibition area, and at the same time still get the hands-on learning experience they do in the exhibition areas.
The second concept from child development is the importance of the a bond between parent and child. If there is a lack of bonding with a parent and child, this can severely alter their developmental pattern. In the FamilyZone I will be assisting in designing, we want to incorporate an area that the children can interact on their own, but also, what the museum fully supports, interact with their parent or guardian. We realize the importance of bonding time and want to add activities that the parent and child can do together and even create areas that the parent and child can quietly sit and read together and learn from each other, strenthening their bond or even creating a bond.
Along the same lines, the above concept can be applied to my design studies concentrations. From a design aspect, the concept would be considering a child development at any age, and then design areas that can support that development. In the FamilyZone, I will again be designing the area so that the child would get the same development support in all of the museum whether away from the exhibitions areas or apart of the exhibition areas.
Lastly, on the design studies area, one last concept would be whatever you are designing, make sure that the design will not detract from the purpose of the product or object. The project I am currently working on is the Educator's Manual. I am conbining all the aspects needed for a good, usable manual and design it so that it looks good, but still is readable and useful so that they can get the important information that will aid them in bettering their tour presentations and help introduce the children to the world of art and learning that go hand in hand.

Inter and Multi-Disciplinary Learning

The difference between interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary is the way the desciplines are mixed. The way that I remember the difference if someone were to break their leg, in a multidisciplinary business, they would have to find the only person that is trained to fix the broken leg. In an interdisciplinary business, everyone is trained to perform that duty.
My internship, I feel, is both. First, they are multidisciplinary. I am working on their emergency plan. I am working with an online program that requires me to meet with individual people because they each have information for the evacuation plan and no one overlaps in their knowledge. One is trained in the computer area, the other in the evacuation plan, the other in the emergency funding.
They are also interdisciplinary because the museum only has about 11 employees and so each person needs to be trained in multiple disciplines such as education, art, and child development. They all work together meshing their knowledge together so that they can accomplish their tasks.
Just recently, the museum changed the job titles of their educator guides...the people that give the school tours. They went from doing all the chores together to specializing in just specific areas. They went from interdisciplinary to multidisciplinary. They are trying to organize all the staff to be more multidisciplinary so that they can focus more on particular areas, but they continue to work in the interdisciplinary way.
The museum is definatly hierarchical because each one person answers to someone higher. I have been working on creating their Educator Guide Manual and one of the elements in the "Getting to Know Arizona Museum for Youth" is a chart that informs them who is located where in the scheme of ranking. Everyone in the company has this chart and even while I was typing in the position titles that were newly formed one of the main points were whom they were to 'answer to'. AMY is very focused on a person's ranking.

Reasoning...

My name is Katy VanVleet Hanchett. I am a 6th year senior and so ready to graduate! I enjoy spending time with my husband of 2 and 1/2 years and love the outdoors...when it's cooler. I also love to blog so I am very excited for this assignment. My two concentrations are child development and design studies. I chose the two concentrations because I have always had a love for design (graphic design on particular) and I eventually want to start a family so I felt it would be interesting to learn more about children.
I am doing my applied studies internship at the Arizona Museum for Youth, a museum centered on children and learning to appreciate art and to become an artist themselves. It is very hands on for the children and is such a fun learning environment. My first project is to create a manual for the guides. I have been gathering information for the guide so that they can improve their ways of understanding children and improve the opportunities of learning. My other main project will be designing the FamilyZone area so that the families can step outside the exhibits and have snacks and drinks. I hope that once I have completed this internship, I will personally have a better understanding of the way children can interact and learn with art. Academically, I want to learn the aspects of designing areas that can enhance a child's learning. People have lately been focusing on a child's learning capacity, but they find that funding art is not important to education. I feel that the interaction of art can enhance their development.
My goals for after graduation are somewhat similar to my intership. I want to work with Autistic children through art and this internship will teach me about how children can benefit and I can take that gained knowledge and apply it to my desired job with challenged children. If art can help "normal" children, then surely art can really benefit others.