S01E23: Chelsea Dacus - Stolen history, changing needs, and making museums accessible

Chelsea Dacus has a super cool job. She gets paid to learn, talk, and think about really old stuff. There's a little more to it than that, but that's the gist. As an Assistant Curator at the Museum of Fine Arts - Houston she spends a lot of her time managing the realities of cultures appropriated, sacred artifacts contaminated and/or desecrated, and a local population with changing expectations of what a museum is and should be. That's a lot. Sadly, she says that there is no bullwhip, giant boulders, or booby-trapped ruins in her job, but if there were would you expect her to admit it?? She does talk a lot about how museums are trying to be and do better. Treating artifacts with more respect, and repatriating where appropriate; making museums accessible and affordable to everyone, not just the affluent.

Along the lines she also explains how museums keep their collections safe, and describes what may be the most amazing job ever - overseeing the travel and installation of a piece on "loan". While not as glamorous as anyone would hope, it still sounds pretty amazing!

To learn more about Chelsea you can check her out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-dacus-curator/

To learn more about her work check out the Museum of Fine Arts - Houston: https://www.mfah.org/

Hey! I Want Your Job is sponsored by the resume and career experts at O&H Consulting. Find out more about O&H's services at: https://www.oandhconsulting.com/. This week's episode is hosted by Michele Olivier.

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