Skat, Skins and Hands-On Time in the Gallery

         The day of reckoning has finally arrived: today was my final day at the museum. It seemed fitting that for my last day I got to spend the entire time amongst the exhibits in the permanent gallery. Today Stacy and I set up a “hands-on” table to give the museum patrons a rare chance to actually touch something in the museum. These touchables included: gray fox skin, gray fox skull, coyote skin, coyote skull, coyote paw print molds, coyote skat (i.e. poop) and a western diamondback rattlesnake skin.

 

           I had such a great time watching the kids and adults alike enjoy stroking the soft pelts of the animals, cringe at touching the rattlesnake’s rattle and wince when I suggested they pick up the “skat.” It was fun to see the excitement in the faces of the children and to rattle off a list of fun facts about the animals that Stacy fed to me. For instance, did you know that the gray fox is part of the dog family, and it is the only member of the dog family that can climb a tree? Or that rattlesnakes can have venom that is either heliotoxic or neurotoxic, the former meaning that it attacks the soft tissue of its victim and the latter that it affects the nerves. I’m not very studied up on my natural history and science so I felt pretty smug with my ammo of factoids.

        Being in the gallery for the day not only gave me a chance to walk around and really get the opportunity to read each and every display label during the downtime but it gave me some great insight into catering towards the public. For example, Stacy and I would note who came to touch the objects, what kind of questions they asked, or even if they asked any questions at all. This information we can use to determine other types of hands-on exhibits that the public might like and what the general interests are. Some of the questions that always made me chuckle were the “is this dead? HOW did it die? of natural causes?” incessant child’s “but why.... [insert explanation]... but WHY??”
         At both the end of the day as well as the figurative “end of the day” at my internship I feel such a greater appreciation for the professionals who run museums and for the importance of their work. I am humbled at the work that goes behind each and every exhibit as well as the many programs that the museum runs. There is so much that goes on “behind the scenes” to make history come to live for the public. I am grateful for the people that I got to meet along this journey and for all of the insights and knowledge that I was privileged to glean from them.

         Now every time I see an exhibit or wander the halls of a new museum I cannot help but pause and think about how and from where pieces were acquired, how they were cared for, and how the museum is using them to tell a story. Especially now I can barely resist the urge to wonder if the bones of a fossil are real or even where the catalog tag is hidden on each item. My experiences working behind the scenes at the Nevada State Museum revitalized my love for historical education and opened my eyes to the importance and complexities of museums. Although as a sophomore in college I would have walked right past a museum on the street, now I eagerly jaunt inside with a fresh perspective in tow.