Projects
Highlighted below are some of the projects I have completed recently. Many of these projects shaped who I am as a historian, so I am always happy to talk about them. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Basket Preservation
2020-2021 - Great Basin Institute at Death Valley National Park
Death Valley, CA
A collection of 150 baskets, including Timbisha Shoshone and Western Pauite works of art, required evaluation and rehousing in preparation for a collection move. I built security disks for baskets on exhibit, as well as custom-fit mounts for baskets kept in storage. Each object was photographed and dust & adhesive removal was conducted prior to rehousing each basket.
Women of
Death Valley
2020 - Great Basin Institute at Death Valley National Park
Death Valley, CA
As a grant-funded researcher, I spent my time as a women's historian inventorying previous research and conducting original research on influential women in the Death Valley area. This included tying significant suffragists to the region, as well as identifying gaps in the archival sources available on women of color. Park staff learned along with me on my weekly emails featuring a different woman in the park's history. The final product was a comprehensive binder with individual biographies, as well as resources for continuing this research.
Parks as Portals
to Learning
2018 - Rocky Mountain National Park Continental Divide Research Learning Center
Estes Park, CO
After a short week of intensive research in Rocky Mountain National Park, I worked with 8 other students to produce recommendations for reducing the impact of increasing visitation with a minimal budget. My leadership skills also grew immensely during this trip as I supporting mentoring in the program and balanced different personalities and skill levels.
Collection Rehousing
2018 - Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Simi Valley, CA
Every spare moment of my summer internship was spent making small progress on rehousing the collection at the Reagan Library. Objects were rehoused with like objects to minimize damaging offgasing and certain objects were moved to create safer and more efficient storing. I built mounts, moved flat files, and helped organize the permanent collection space.
Collection Rehousing
2018 - Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Simi Valley, CA
Every spare moment of my summer internship was spent making small progress on rehousing the collection at the Reagan Library. Objects were rehoused with like objects to minimize damaging offgasing and certain objects were moved to create safer and more efficient storing. I built mounts, moved flat files, and helped organize the permanent collection space.
Reagan in Japan Photo Project
2018 - Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Simi Valley, CA
Almost 200 original photographs were mislabeled and out of order from President Reagan's two trips to Japan. I sorted all of the photographs into the 1983 and 1986 trips and eventually gave each photo a clear date, a specific location, details on the people in each photo, and finally put them in chronological order, as they were given to President Reagan from Japan.
Bags Packed Museum Exhibit
2018 - Global Village Museum
Fort Collins, CO
I opened a temporary exhibit at the Global Village Museum in Fort Collins, CO titled, "Bags Packed & Headed to the Rockies: The Legacy of Immigration in Fort Collins." Working with a team of other graduate students, I curated objects from members of the community, designed panels throughout the exhibit, and developed a digital tour to expand our exhibit's reach in the surrounding area.
Lounging in the 60s
2017 - Rocky Mountain National Park Archives
Estes Park, CO
Physical exhibit spaces are extremely limited because of space and budget constraints, but the archives are rich with objects and stories to tell. I created a digital exhibit to showcase some of the large mid-century modern furniture of the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center that follows fascinating challenges of the NPS and of Frank Lloyd Wright's design company, Taliesin.
Inventory & Database Creation Project
2018 - Hurst Ranch Historical Foundation
West Covina, CA
I created a database and began inventorying all objects at Hurst Ranch as their first curator. Hurst Ranch holds a plethora of fascinating and valuable artifacts, but the stories the objects tell together are even more precious. I created a professional database that is standardized for the next curator, as well as produced a regular report of Curator's Notes to inform the board of my progress and observations.