Sofia Biriouk is an astrophysics major at Michigan State University. She spent the summer interning at the Holland Museum. -Austin Metz/Holland Sentinel
Holland Sentinel | August 13, 2023 | Austin Metz
HOLLAND — This summer, six students were given the opportunity to experience firsthand how to run a museum as part of Holland Museum’s Summer Intern Council.
On Thursday, Aug. 10, those students shared their newfound knowledge with the public and introduced their own exhibit, “Cabinets of Curiosities: The Origins of the Modern Museum.”
“It was interesting how, early on, many of them were saying how this museum stuff is kind of cool,” said Executive Director Ricki Levine. “A lot of people don’t know what kind of jobs a museum offers unless you’re immersed in it. It’s neat to see these students be exposed to that and experiencing that and maybe deciding to do it as a career.”
This year’s council included Jaer Medina, Sofia Biriouk, Wyatt Wilcox, Kaelin Hardenburgh, Maddalena Fissora, and Emily Leegwater.
Throughout the program, students assisted the museum in a variety of ways, working in collections, exhibitions, and communications. They worked on the organization’s website, brainstormed and designed their own exhibit, and worked with historical artifacts.
Six interns at Holland Museum created their own exhibit this summer. The exhibit will remain on display until January. – Austin Metz/Holland Sentinel
Jaer Medina is an art history major at Grand Valley State University. He spent the summer as an interpretive specialist at the museum, learning about the use of space in relation to art.
“To work in an institution like this, it was really beneficial to understand the community and then seeing how I can apply that to my space,” Medina said. “More so than anything, getting the experience of translating an idea into an exhibition.”
The students’ exhibit will remain until January. It highlights unique artifacts from the museum’s collection. Themes include Artificialia (man-made objects), Scientifica (tools for science), and Naturalia (items from nature).
For more information, visit hollandmuseum.org.
Learn more at hollandmuseum.org.
