Assignment NMAL

As of Friday, September 20, I am an intern with the Smithsonian Instiitution’s National Museum of the American Latino (https://latino.si.edu). The museum is transitioning from a digital museum to brick and mortar, with the exhibit ” ¡Presente !A Latino History of the United States” in the National Museum of American History’s Molina Family Latino Gallery.

The museum’s mission is to honor “the dreams, challenges, and triumphs of U.S. Latinos, elevating diverse stories within the nation’s narrative. We create transformative experiences, foster a deeper understanding of American history and culture, and connect communities nationwide.”

NMAL and the National Women’s History Museum are both awaiting site selection for for the buildings that will house the collections. NMAL its preparing for the transition, as it has started acquiring artifacts to complement the digital collections.

I will be working with the Office of Digital Initiatives on two projects. First, developing a “Meet the Museum” digital outreach campaign to bring the digital museum to the forefront and increase visitors. The second will be a GIS mapping project showing the spread and the influence of Latino music.

I am looking forward to both these strands — learning and improving my mapping skills with GIS and related software is always on the top of my list — as well as working through the engagement and development side of the public humanities. Additionally, this history is a large blind spot in my education that I am excited to work on improving.