Episode 13: Curator's Corner with Museum of Boulder's Chelsea Pennington Hahn (Part 1)

Wonder Stars of the Universe

Have you ever wondered about the ethics of museum curation? Who gets to choose what matters? Who gets to say what ought to be preserved? Chelsea Pennington Hahn of the Museum of Boulder has pondered over just those questions and is willing and able to answer them just for you! She'll talk to us about what it means to define art not only for yourself but also for the public, and the weight of that responsibility in times of peace and tragedy. Get ready to wander with a museum wonder star! Best Quote: "You have a piece of history or a random artifact or something around, you might be like this seems boring to me if I'm being honest, but once you dig into it there's always something fascinating. Your fingertips tingle with new knowledge as your research tells an interesting story that you didn't realize was connected to this larger arc throughout history and throughout the community. " Spotify playlist: bit.ly/CuratorsCornerPlaylist Today's Gif: bit.ly/DigiMuseumGif To check Chelsea's favorite mentors, learn more about Nina Simon, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History - check out this classy article written all about herPamela Schwartz, Executive Director of the Orange County Regional History Center - read this thorough NPR article written about herCynthia Sanford, Registrar of the Clark County Museum - look through how she expertly handled tragedy and shares that wisdom with others in the museum worldTo read today's episode transcript, head over to WonderStarsUniverse.com/Podcast/ChelseaMuseumOfBoulder To read other Wonder Star stories, check out the full book: bit.ly/WonderStarsBook Learn more about the Universe and get bonus content at WonderStarsUniverse.com Music by Blue Dot Sessions Published and produced by the Eboni Freeman Institute#WonderStars ___________________________________Episode Topics Covered What is a collection facility? How does one acquire art? What is the mission of the collection? How does a curator balance building today's collection while crafting the collection you envision 20 years from now?How do you work with your team to define a vision?How do partnerships arise?How do you think about positioning the museum in terms of larger political and societal conversations? When you put your curator hat on, how do you manage leading on projects you don't have a passion for?How do you archive a mass shooting? How do you equitably tell the story of a diverse place where there are citizens across the political, economic, and social spectrums? How was it for you as a person and a curator to manage the King Soopers Shooting memorial through trauma-informed preservation? What was Chelsea's first big art experience? How does exploitation show up in the careers of art administrators?