Art, Science, and History: A Summer in the Rio Grande Valley

Abstract

In the summer of 2022, I interned at the International Museum of Art and Science (IMAS) and the Museum of South Texas History (MOSTHistory). At IMAS, I was hired as a part-time educator and my responsibilities included facilitating educational programs and exhibits, creating a collection’s manual for the organization of the educational objects, and aided in the evaluation of a community pilot project. At MOSTHistory I worked with the Education Coordinator to create onboarding documentation and docent training. Both museums are in Rio Grande Valley, located in the southernmost point tip of Texas consisting of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy County, home to over 1 million Hispanic Americans. My learning goal for these experiences was to learn how institutions with Hispanic audiences implement DEAI initiatives in their daily operations and strategic planning. Reinforcing the skills I learned in the Museum Studies program, I was able to bring my expertise in evaluation, education, and collections management and explore facilitating programing in a bilingual multicultural environment.