New Experiences at Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters
A July 2024 Share Out by CRDIP (Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program) Member Kaylie Alvarez
Having only started this internship seven weeks ago, I feel both sadness that a month has gone by in a blink and joy that I can proudly say that I have settled here at Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters (LONG). Although my days are not consistently the same, it has been a welcome challenge to do tasks that take place on different sides of museum work.
My position as the Indigenous Artists’ Fellowship Planning Member/Intern has been such an enjoyable experience, and something that is almost completely new to the prior work I have done at museums while I was in college. Given that LONG is still in the planning process for the fellowship, which will take place in 2025, I have been doing a lot of work related to researching artist-in-residency programs, Indigenous history, and potential consultants for this project. Along with helping with this preliminary research and developing an Indigenous collections and archives overview for future use, I have also been assisting public programming with my fellow interns. So far, I have participated in our Family Saturday events, Pride Picnic, and the Juneteenth Celebration, all of which were a great chance to talk with people about the house and its history.
Helping with Family Saturday events, including assisting children with making their own musical instruments!
Apart from my time at LONG, I am quite new to Boston and have spent my weekends seeing and enjoying all the city has to offer, from visiting museums to going to Red Sox games. After a month, I would have to say the biggest adjustment of my CRDIP internship has been moving across the country and learning how to find comfort in a new city. Now that I can successfully navigate my way around the T, I want to get out more and take advantage of being on the East Coast for only the second time in my life.
Enjoying a Red Sox game at Fenway
I did not expect for the start of my internship to be as easy as it was, given that this is my first time being away from home for this long, on top of being on the opposite side of the country. While I did have minor hiccups (the amount of times I lost my CharlieCard on the bus), I felt like I had lots of support through ACE to help alleviate any nerves I had about starting a new job. My successful transition into this new chapter of my life also could not have been done without the warm welcome and helpful advice I received upon arriving to LONG, not only from my supervisors but also from the park rangers and museum staff. Their support and happiness to educate visitors about Longfellow’s history has inspired my own fondness for this site, and I am very excited for what the next five months here have to offer!
An October 2024 Share Out by CRDIP Member Kaylie Alvarez
Gaining Perspective in Washington D.C.
My time at Longfellow-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site (LONG) has been amazing in so many ways, not only with the work I am doing as the planning intern for their incoming Indigenous Artists’ Fellowship, but also in the opportunity I had to use my professional development fund to visit Washington D.C.. Discussing it with my supervisor, she thought the trip could be a great chance at seeing how national museums portray and engage with the diverse histories and cultures throughout the country. With her and my ACE point of contact’s support, I quickly started to plan my (packed) itinerary for this short trip. Having never been to the capital before, I was excited for the opportunity to visit the National Mall and all of the museums that had been on my bucket list for years.
In four days, I was able to visit the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), the National Museum of American History (NMAH), and the National Gallery of Art (NGA). Despite the short time there, I spent full days at NMAI and NMAAHC, where I was greatly moved by both museums’ interpretation of history and exhibitions, dedicated to educating and creating starting points for important conversations among visitors. And it was touching to see how the feelings were mutual among visitors, with conversations beginning soon after we exited each exhibit.
Eagerly waiting to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Prior to coming to D.C., I spent some time reading about NMAI, as their work and continued collaboration with Indigenous communities has been a related topic to the work being done at LONG with the Indigenous Artists’ Fellowship. Their exhibit, Nation to Nation: Treaties between the United States and American Indian Nations, I felt, encapsulated the mission of the institution in giving visitors a “more informed understanding of Native peoples” through the exhibit’s focus on how the circumstances and beliefs of both parties regarding land ownership, leadership, and more led to the making of these historic treaties, and how they continue to affect the relationship between the U.S. and sovereign Indigenous nations today.
“Allies in War, Partners in Peace” statue by Edward E. Hlavka at the National Museum of the American Indian. The piece showcases the relationship between the United States and the Oneida Indian Nation during the Revolutionary War.
I also had the chance to speak with a former colleague of my supervisors, who is now working in the interpretation department at the National Gallery of Art. Chatting for an hour, I got to learn about her experience in interpretation at NPS sites, and her new transition to NGA. As an end to my trip, I found our conversation to be very beneficial in gaining perspective on the future of my own career. Since being home, I have been doing more research on graduate schools, as well as looking into museum studies courses that will build off all the experience I have gained through this internship. This opportunity to visit D.C. and all the moments I had here are truly unforgettable, and I am very grateful for the support I received from my internship supervisor and ACE point of contact who helped to make this happen!
My journey from the metro station to the National Gallery of Art, then taking the museum’s dazzling underground path to the main building