Summer Fun and Inclusive Programming: Intern Lucy Adams Reflects
One of my earliest jobs was working as a camp counselor on a farm in Oregon. I loved leading craft time because I could see the campers’ confidence grow as they worked with their hands and made their ideas come to life. This experience inspired me to explore a career in museum education. While pursuing my dual degree in Studio Art and Art History at Kenyon College, I interned at several small Midwestern art museums, where I helped create accessible and inclusive museum programs and didactic materials. After graduating in 2023, I worked at the Information Desk at SAM for ten months. Then, I got the Family Programs internship, and I was so excited to further explore my love for arts education within a large and well-known institution like SAM!
In my role as the Summer 2024 Family Programs intern, I helped plan and run SAM Camp, the museum’s summer camps at the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park. I was supervised by Nani Trias, Educator for Family Programs, who was unbelievably generous with her time and energy. In my role, I had many responsibilities. I helped coordinate between SAM staff, our teaching artists, and our fantastic team of counselors. I delivered morning announcements and planned downtime activities to provide structure and set a positive tone for the day. I planned four gallery tours each week, which complemented the teaching artists’ curriculums. I loved delivering these tours and connecting with the Education staff members who volunteered to lead them. I also appreciated the opportunity to connect with the facilities, visitor experience, and security staff members at the Asian Art Museum who made SAM Camp possible. Providing a safe space for kids to express themselves is what I love to do, and seeing young campers come into their own during their week at camp was so fulfilling!
My internship made me excited about a career in arts education. I developed a stronger ability to coordinate many stakeholders from different backgrounds and to make important decisions independently. I also learned how to create engaging and accessible tours for young audiences, encouraging kids to share ideas and ask questions in the museum space. Most significantly, working with Nani, as well as Nicole Henao and Cristina Cano-Calhoun from the Education department, was incredibly inspiring. I was energized by their thoughtfulness, kindness, and passion for providing meaningful art opportunities for underserved communities. I left SAM Camp feeling hopeful about the Seattle Art Museum’s ability to provide opportunities for growth and connection for youth in the Seattle area.
Due in no small part to the encouragement of the mentors I connected with during my internship, I landed a permanent position at the museum! In September 2024, I started my new job working with the Public Engagement team to create engaging and fresh programming during the museum’s Free First Thursdays. On the first Thursday of the month, the museum is free to all, all day; at the Seattle Art Museum in downtown Seattle, the museum now also offers free programming from 5 to 8 pm. I’m so thankful to the Education and Visitor Experience departments for their unyielding support, and I’ve had so much fun beginning this new chapter with SAM. Come visit the museum on Free First Thursdays to see what I and my colleagues have been dreaming up!
– Lucy Adams, Public Engagement Associate
Photos: Courtesy Lucy Adams. SAM Camp photos: Chloe Collyer.