Exploring Pathways in Museum Careers: A Symposium for Professional Development kicks off at 11:00 in the UNM Art Museum’s Clinton Adams Gallery. Attendees and speakers are invited to join us for opening remarks from UNMAM Associate Director Devin E. Geraci.

Meet the Speaker

Devin E. Geraci, Associate Director of Operations at the UNM Art Museum

Devin E. Geraci (she/her) is the Associate Director of Operations at the University of New Mexico Art Museum. She received her BS in Anthropology from Florida State University and completed her MBA and MA in Museum Studies at the University of New Mexico.

Her studies established a unique academic concentration that blends organizational behavior concepts into museum work, with a particular focus on employee motivation, job design, and leadership development.

Outside of work, Devin stays involved with professional organizations to support museum workers. She served two years with the National Emerging Museum Professionals Network’s advocacy committee, and is currently a member of the Association of Academic Museums & Galleries conference committee.

Devin has an extensive and broad background in a variety of museums and types of roles, including administration, education, evaluation, event planning and marketing. She particularly enjoys working in an academic museum because it provides space to mentor emerging museum leaders.

This session brings together three panelists who represent different facets of technology integration in the museum sector. Technology and digital experiences can improve, broaden, and deepen the museum experience for the visitor, while providing new opportunities and challenges for museum staff. In this session, attendees will learn more about these career opportunities through the personal experiences of the panelists. Panelists will discuss their current roles and projects, along with their educational backgrounds, and skills that led them to pursue careers in innovative technology and digital museum experiences. 

Meet the Speakers

Stacy Hasselbacher, Director of Creative Projects at Ideum

Stacy is the Director of Creative Projects at Ideum. She has been in the museum or museum-adjacent field for 20+ years, with experience in museum education, interpretation, programming, media, and technology. In addition to her current position at Ideum, Stacy has worked for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, The Chrysler Museum of Art, and Meow Wolf. Stacy has a BA in Anthropology from Vanderbilt University and an MS Ed in Instructional Design and Technology from Old Dominion University.‍

‍With Ideum, Stacy has produced interactive exhibits with IAIA and the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, Mystic Seaport, the Minnesota Historical Society, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, among others. Her professional interests include the interpretation of challenging content, linear and interactive media production, and immersive experience design.

Miriam Langer, Professor of Media Arts at New Mexico Highlands University

Miriam Langer is a professor of Media Arts and the former Deptartment Chair of Media Arts & Technology at New Mexico Highlands University. She teaches physical computing,  technology stewardship, and exhibit design. She is the co-director of the Center for Cultural Technology – a partnership between NMHU and the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, and runs PICT (Program in Cultural Technology), a semester intensive where students design, build, and install an exhibit in 17 weeks. Recent projects include the inaugural exhibit for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Los Alamos and the visitor’s center for New Mexico’s newest historic site, Los Luceros.  Her lab’s open-source exhibit development platform, the Museduino, was selected by the Open Source Hardware Association as one of six inaugural Open HardwareTrailblazers Fellowships in 2022-23. 

Miriam attended Cornell University and NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.  She has been a visiting artist at the College of the Atlantic, Kenyon College, NYU, and Grinnell College. Miriam presents at Open Hardware Summit,  ASTC, Museum Computer Network, INSTINT, Museums & the Web, and NM Association of Museums, among others. She’s been a visiting lecturer at the University of Lugano and the University of Siena, (where she did her best to talk about Arduino in its native Italian). Find her at the beautiful McCaffrey Historic Trolley Building on the NMHU main campus in Las Vegas, NM. 

Liz Neely, Curator of Digital Experience at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Liz Neely is the Curator of Digital Experience at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. She designs online and in-person experiences using technology to help audiences engage with the art and life of Georgia O’Keeffe. Neely has previously held positions at the Art Institute of Chicago, the American Alliance of Museums, and serves on the board of the Harwood Museum of Art. She is active in the field and participates in fieldwide explorations such as the 2021 Cooper-Hewitt’s Transforming Museum Experience program which culminated in a toolkit for being a change-agent within museums. Neely holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. 

Moderated by

Joseph McKee, Coordinator of Student Engagement & Technology at the UNM Art Museum

Joseph McKee (they/them) is the Coordinator of Student Engagement & Technology at UNMAM. In this position they oversee the museum’s events, programs, and educational content. They lead the museum’s Student Advisory Council and also aid in web design and marketing. They hold a BA in Art History from the University of New Mexico. 

McKee is a freelance graphic designer, artist, and art historian. Their research explores the intersections of queer identity, representations of body in digital space, and digital colonialism. Currently, McKee is involved in the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries Conference 2024 and the International Symposium of Electronic Arts 2024.

Dr. Manuela Well-Off-Man, Chief Curator at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

Dr. Manuela Well-Off-Man is an art historian and chief curator at the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She previously served as curator at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and at the Montana Museum of Art and Culture. With more than 20 years of curatorial experience in museums and galleries, she has curated national and international contemporary Native American art exhibitions.

Well-Off-Man received her PhD in Art History from Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany, and her MA degree in Art History, Archaeology and Pedagogy from the University of Cologne, Germany. She has authored numerous exhibition catalogue essays, magazine articles and blogs on American art. Among her publications are the exhibition catalogs Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology (2021), Indigenous Futurisms: Transcending Past/Present/Future (2020), Action/Abstraction Redefined (2019), and Connective Tissue: New Approaches to Fiber in Contemporary Native Art (2017), as well as an article in The Art Bulletin (Sept. 2022).  

Explore the dynamic roles of education and engagement in museums. The responsibilities and duties of museum educators are varied and utilize a wide range of skills, talents, and knowledge. In this session, attendees will learn about the careers of museum educators across different types of museums in New Mexico. Panelists will share their approaches to engaging the public in the creative environments of their workplaces, while also discussing the education, skills, and experiences that helped build their careers in museum education and engagement. 

Meet the Speakers

Matthew Contos, Director of Creativity & Learning at SITE Santa Fe

Matthew Contos serves as a Curator of Public Programs, Artist, and Educator, working with various artists, groups, spaces, and organizations to establish collaborative platforms and initiatives that supplement cultural exchange, lifelong learning, and ecological stewardship. Contos combines his background in curatorial and artistic practices with his experience in community organizing and social services to implement social centers, international collaborations, exhibitions, publications, and diverse public programming. His projects take on many forms and vary in scale, from intimate encounters in art centers or train stations to city-wide events and multidisciplinary exhibitions. His practice is guided by context, drawing from the sites, histories, communities, and diverse vantage points of those who have a stake in the project’s production and impact. 

Contos explores the transformational powers of artistic and curatorial strategies to resist static relationships and generate projects that produce more equitable, dynamic sites for cultural exchange where individuals interact and new collective cultures emerge. His work brings unlikely partners together to expand the constraints of the status quo and reduce the consequences of widening global inequalities and climate change. He has partnered with heritage centers, nature preserves, anarchist collectives, Tibetan monks, indigenous communities, museums, labor unions, incarcerated youth, and other diverse collaborators. Together, they established multidisciplinary partnerships resulting in dynamic initiatives utilizing artistic and curatorial strategies to empower individuals to discover their capacity to shape their worlds.

Contos is currently the Director of Creativity and Learning at SITE Santa Fe. He has worked with various organizations within the art community, such as Creative Capital, The Center of Contemporary Arts (Santa Fe), and the San Francisco Public Arts Commission. Contos lives in New Mexico and works internationally to support clients worldwide. His artistic background is supplemented by extensive experience as an educator, social worker, and activist. Contos holds an MFA in Social Practice from California College of the Arts and a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Denver. 

Tara Henderson, Director of Education at Explora

Tara Zollinger Henderson was born and raised in New Mexico and has been an active participant in informal education in her community for much of her life. She has always enjoyed the process of learning and visiting museums and other informal learning institutions. In her current role as the Director of Education at Explora, she leads a dynamic team overseeing every aspect of the education experience including the development and execution of inquiry-based science education programs and experiences both at Explora and across New Mexico, camp programs for preK-12th, and teacher professional development. She is passionate about developing and maintaining community partnerships with organizations throughout the state.

Tara has a BS in Child Development and Family Relations and an MA in Family Studies, both from the University of New Mexico, and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from Texas A&M. 

Patricia Sigala, Community Outreach & Engagement Educator at the Museum of International Folk Art

Patricia Sigala is the Community Outreach & Engagement Educator at the Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe. As an Art Educator, she reaches out/in across generations, abilities, and communities throughout Northern New Mexico. Sigala is passionate about engaging all ages utilizing the museum’s collection and working with artists to facilitate experiential learning, global understanding, cultural self-exploration, and social activism.

Her extensive experience collaborating and developing innovative public programming connects visitors to creative, interactive, and culturally relevant learning experiences. In 2023, she co-curated a 6-month prototype exhibition, Between the Lines: Prison Art and Advocacy | A Community Conversation, to elicit feedback from visitors to help shape the final exhibit iteration, opening in August 2024.

A recipient of the NM Art Education Association, Museum Education Division Art Educator of the Year (2016), she holds a BA in Non-Profit Community Service Administration from Metropolitan State University, and a MA in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Moderated by

Ethan R. Aronson, Manager of Visitor Experience at the UNM Art Museum

Ethan R. Aronson is a professional in the museum field with nearly 10 years of experience in guest services and daily operations in a variety of museums and attractions. He has worked at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, Casa San Ysidro, The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, and is currently employed as the Manager of Visitor Experience at the UNM Art Museum. His primary responsibility in this position is to serve as a resource and support system to empower the Museum Assistants to handle the UNMAM’s front desk operations.

Ethan was the co-founder of Modern Albuquerque, a historical research organization and walking tour dedicated to documenting and publicizing Albuquerque’s mid-20^th century architecture, art, culture, and history. He is pursuing a BA in History with a minor in Museum Studies at UNM, and he plans to graduate in May 2025. He is a board member of Historic Albuquerque, Inc.

Lauren Tresp, Publisher & Editor at Southwest Contemporary 

Storytelling and communication are at the heart of working in arts and culture. For museums, cultural institutions, and creative entrepreneurs, marketing, branding, public relations, and visual design are essential tools for reaching audiences and community members. Lauren Tresp, editor and publisher of Southwest Contemporary magazine, has more than a decade of experience working in the contemporary arts ecosystem. As an arts writer, entrepreneur, and marketing consultant, in this session she will speak about her professional journey and how to explore communications as a successful and meaningful career path. 

In this session, panelists will discuss how their roles support the larger institutional goals and mission of Ghost Ranch, a 21,000-acre private non-profit institution comprising of two museums, a library, extensive grounds, events, and activities. The Museums of Ghost Ranch are dedicated to advancing research, education and public engagement in Anthropology, Archaeology, and Paleontology. From leadership to grant writing, education, and collections, this panel will explore how staff work collaboratively to serve a museum’s mission. Panelists will also discuss the experiences and opportunities that led them to these roles. 

Meet the Speakers

Joanne Lefrak, Director of Experience & Social Impact at Ghost Ranch

Joanne Lefrak is the Director of Experience and Social Impact at Ghost Ranch, an education and retreat center in Abiquiu, New Mexico. In this role, she is the Director and Curator of the Florence Hawley Ellis Museum of Anthropology and Ruth Hall Museum of Paleontology at Ghost Ranch. She also oversees programs, events, marketing and outdoor adventures for the organization. 

She spent 19 years working at SITE Santa Fe, 12 of those as the Ring Director of Education and Curator of Public Practice focusing on public programming, curating artists to co-create projects within the community, and expanding education throughout New Mexico. As a passionate advocate for the arts and education, she has a strong track record in long term authentic community engagement, partnerships and collaborations. 

She is a founder and leadership team member of the Santa Fe Community Educators Network which is committed to the power of collaboration and collective impact to successfully address community needs by creating and sharing resources across the non-profit sector. From 2011-2021, Lefrak volunteered as the Chair for the City of Santa Fe Children and Youth Commission to improve the lives of children by supporting local non profit and school programs that work for youth. 

As a visual artist, Lefrak has recently been awarded fellowships at the Women’s International Study Center and the Ucross Foundation and she is currently represented by Richard Levy Gallery in Albuquerque, NM. She was a fellow as part of MCA Denver’s Animating Museums Creative Leadership program from 2017-2019 and she was the recipient of the City of Santa Fe Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2014.  

Nancy King, Grant Writer at National Ghost Ranch Foundation, Inc.

Nancy King serves as a grant writer for the National Ghost Ranch Foundation, Inc. 

With a MA in Nonprofit Management and 20+ years of experience in fundraising, Nancy has extensive knowledge of grants, marketing, program development, annual giving campaigns, and capital campaigns. 

Nancy has applied for several federal and state funding opportunities on behalf of the Museums at Ghost Ranch. 

Kathryn Ritter, Assistant Collections Manager at Ghost Ranch

Moderated by

Ethan R. Aronson, Manager of Visitor Experience at the UNM Art Museum

Ethan R. Aronson is a professional in the museum field with nearly 10 years of experience in guest services and daily operations in a variety of museums and attractions. He has worked at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, Casa San Ysidro, The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, and is currently employed as the Manager of Visitor Experience at the UNM Art Museum. His primary responsibility in this position is to serve as a resource and support system to empower the Museum Assistants to handle the UNMAM’s front desk operations.

Ethan was the co-founder of Modern Albuquerque, a historical research organization and walking tour dedicated to documenting and publicizing Albuquerque’s mid-20^th century architecture, art, culture, and history. He is pursuing a BA in History with a minor in Museum Studies at UNM, and he plans to graduate in May 2025. He is a board member of Historic Albuquerque, Inc.

Justy Alicea, Chief Preparator and Fossil Lab Manager at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

While there is a typical path to breaking into the museum field, people have taken all kinds of winding roads to get there. Growing up in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Justy Alicea could never have imagined the incredible journey that lay ahead of him in pursuing his dream of paleontology. Yet, through stubborn determination and proactively seeking out and capitalizing on new opportunities, Justy has carved an impressive and inspiring path to becoming a leading fossil preparator and conservator. 

In this personal and insightful session, Justy will share the story of his journey – from humble beginnings in the inner city, to obtaining a biology degree against the odds, to landing positions at renowned natural history museums across the country. He’ll highlight the challenges he faced navigating academia and the competitive museum job market, offering candid advice for others looking to follow a similar unconventional career path. 

Beyond the personal narrative, Justy will also dive into the day-to-day realities of his current role as Chief Preparator and Fossil Lab Manager at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses, he’ll reveal the intricate artistry and scientific precision required to preserve prehistoric fossils for public display and research. 

Whether you’re a student considering a career in paleontology, or an early-career museum professional, this session promises to be an engaging and enlightening exploration of one person’s remarkable path from the streets of New York to the ancient bone beds of the Southwest. 

This session presents an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the roles of museum registrars and collections managers through panelists’ personal experiences. These roles hold dynamic responsibilities and draw on numerous skills, including communication, data management, logistics planning and organization, while adhering to the highest stewardship standards for museum collections. Panelists will discuss their current roles, along with their educational backgrounds, and skills that led them to pursue careers in museum registration and collections management. 

Meet the Speakers

Katherine Barry, Registrar for the Indian Arts Research Center at the School for Advanced Research

Katherine Barry is the Registrar for the Indian Arts Research Center at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe. With over ten years of experience in museum registration, collections management, and exhibitions, she appreciates the collaborative and diverse nature of museum work. As a registrar, she is passionate about database management, making collections information accessible (where culturally appropriate), and care of objects in the collection.

Barry has previously served as Collections Registrar for the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe; Registrar for the Stark Museum of Art and The W.H. Stark House in Southeast Texas; and as an archival project contractor for Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Eastern Oregon. She holds a BA in history and anthropology from the College of William & Mary in Virginia, where she also worked for the college’s historic campus.

 

Lauren Fuka, Ethnology Sr. Collections Manager and Museum Registrar, Maxwell Museum of Anthropology

Lauren Fuka serves as Senior Collections Manager (Ethnology) and Museum Registrar at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico. She holds a BA in Anthropology from University of Miami and an MA in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University.

Before joining the Maxwell Museum in 2019, she served as Collections Manager at the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology in Ann Arbor, MI and as Contract Registrar at the Western Archaeological and Conservation Center (NPS) in Tucson, AZ.

Hannah Weston, Museum Collections Registration Specialist, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Hannah Weston is Diné (Navajo) and is from Farmington, New Mexico, but currently living and working as the Museum Registrar at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

She received her undergraduate degrees in Art History and Museum Studies from Arizona State University in 2015 and is currently working towards a MA in Arts and Culture Management with an emphasis in Outreach and Advocacy through the University of Denver. 

Moderated by

Devin E. Geraci, Associate Director of Operations at the UNM Art Museum

Devin E. Geraci (she/her) is the Associate Director of Operations at the University of New Mexico Art Museum. She received her BS in Anthropology from Florida State University and completed her MBA and MA in Museum Studies at the University of New Mexico.

Her studies established a unique academic concentration that blends organizational behavior concepts into museum work, with a particular focus on employee motivation, job design, and leadership development.

Devin has an extensive and broad background in a variety of museums and types of roles, including administration, education, evaluation, event planning, and marketing. She particularly enjoys working in an academic museum because it provides space to mentor emerging museum leaders.

Cynthia Graves, Founder and Director of GuestCurator Traveling Exhibitions

In this session, Cynthia will provide a synopsis of her road into museum work and the evaluation of discovering where her skills fit. This session will explore the infinite possibilities of working in the museum field, from internal programming to contract opportunities.

Cynthia holds a BFA in Studio Art from Arizona State University and MA from the University of New Mexico in American Studies. She owns and operates GuestCurator Traveling Exhibitions, founded in 2001 and based in Santa Fe, an independent representative and coordinator for traveling exhibits originated by museums, organizations, and individuals. GuestCurator has successfully placed exhibitions in museums and galleries throughout North America and Europe.  She is also a research associate for the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, NM, assisting with the update and digitization of the Georgia O’Keeffe catalogue raisonné.

She has worked in the arts for the past 40 years, including staff positions with the Texas Commission on the Arts, New Mexico Arts, and the Museum of New Mexico. She has served as a Chair for the Santa Fe Arts Commission and is a past member of the Arts in Public Places Committee for the City of Santa Fe. She is currently the board secretary for ARTsmart New Mexico and a board member of the New Mexico Association of Museums.  

Presenting Ghhúunayúkata / To Keep Them Warm: The Alaska Native Parka as a case study, panelists will discuss their role in the development of this exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art. Exploring the art of the parka, the planning and presentation of this exhibition required skills in many different areas: conservation, collections, and exhibition design. This session will navigate the curatorial, conservation, and design concerns for this exhibition while providing attendees with insight into the careers that support the design and development of museum exhibitions.  

Meet the Speakers

Angela Duckwall, Senior Textile Conservator at New Mexico’s Department of Cultural Affairs

Angela Duckwall, Senior Textile Conservator, has been with New Mexico’s Department of Cultural Affairs since January 2015. She particularly loves to work with textiles that tell a story and when her work is able to preserve and amplify those stories for the public.

She has been a Mellon Fellow in Conservation at The National Museum of the American Indian and interned or worked at The Textile Museum, The Shelburne Museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, The Peabody Harvard, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. She holds a MS in Art Conservation from the University of Delaware and a BA in Anthropology from Indiana University. 

 

Suzi Jones, Co-Curator

One of the guest co-curators of Ghhúunayúkata / To Keep Them Warm, Jones served as the Anchorage Museum’s deputy director from 1997 to 2015. Prior to this, she worked for the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Alaska State Council on the Arts. An Alaska Native art specialist, Jones has more than 30 years of experience curating museum exhibitions, managing international loans, producing exhibition catalogs, and developing Alaska Native art and culture programs. She also has conducted field research for the Smithsonian Institution‘s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and for the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. She earned her doctorate from the University of Oregon. Her other research interests include the folklife and folk art of the American West, and she began her career as the first Folk Arts Coordinator for the Oregon Arts Commission. Jones retired to Santa Fe and is a research associate with the Museum of International Folk Art. Her work with the museum’s Alaska collections resulted in the development of the parka exhibition and publication project. 

 

Caroline Lajoie, Exhibition Designer at New Mexico’s Department of Cultural Affairs Museum Resource Division

Caroline Lajoie is an Exhibition Designer with DCA Museum Resources Division, Exhibition Services since 2007. With a background in Public Environment Design and a BS in Industrial Design Technology, Caroline brings strong organizational and creative skills to exhibit development and has led numerous, innovative large installations. She is passionate about carrying the vision of the curators and listening to all stakeholders. “As each project develops, I am always amazed to discover the stories unfolding and the reasons behind each and every object: it is ultimately the tale of people, of humankind, which I strive to communicate.” 

Melissa Shaginoff, Co-Curator

Melissa Shaginoff is Ahtna and Paiute from Nay’dini’aa Na Kayax (Chickaloon Village, AK). Her work is shaped by the framework and intricacies of Indigenous ceremonies and social structures. Melissa utilizes visiting in her art practice, searching for deeper understanding through moments of exchange and reciprocity. Melissa has completed residencies in New Mexico, Sweden, Italy, Canada, and Alaska.

She is currently the Assistant Curator at the Alaska Native Heritage Center but has also curated and juried art exhibitions with the Anchorage Museum, Alaska Pacific University, the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Coe Center, the Fairbanks Art Association, and the Museum of International Folk Art. Melissa also operates the Kuzuundze’ ts’eghaanden Gallery, an Indigenous-centered gallery space that supports Elders, youth, and emerging artists interested in developing their exhibition readiness.

Melissa has been published in the Alaska Humanities FORUM Magazine, First American Art Magazine, Inuit Art Quarterly, and the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center’s Learning Lab. She is a founding member of Luk’ae Tse’ Taas (fish head soup) Comics, a new media collective focused on BIPOC representation in printed narratives and epherma. 

Moderated by

Mary Statzer, Curator of Prints & Photographs at the UNM Art Museum

Mary Statzer is a curator and educator who is most at home in museums. Statzer grew up in Illinois and moved to the southwest where she has lived and worked in Arizona and New Mexico.

Statzer trained as an artist and art historian, earning a BFA in printmaking and drawing from Illinois State University, an MFA in printmaking from Arizona State University, and a PhD in the theory and history of art from University of Arizona. Photography and print are Statzer’s specialties.

She is currently the Curator of Prints and Photographs at the University of New Mexico Art Museum, where she has organized exhibitions in all mediums of art for the past six years.

Attendees and speakers are invited to join us in the Center for the Arts Lobby for a networking mixer, giving attendees the opportunity to connect with professionals, peers, and potential mentors. Light refreshments will be provided.  

Learn more from the following featured organizations:

• Association of Academic Museums & Galleries
• Ghost Ranch
• Institute of American Indian Arts Museum Studies Program
• New Mexico Highlands University Media Arts
• The University of New Mexico Art Museum
• UNM Office of Career Services