Join the Mitchell Museum on Saturday, March 12 from 3:00-4:00 pm for “Collections Connection.” Executive Director Kathleen McDonald will lead a unique behind the scenes program exploring the many facets of caring for the Mitchell Museum’s collection. Visitors will learn what it is like to be a curator of a small museum while getting an interactive look at some of the unique objects from the museum’s 10,000 piece collection from tribes across the United States and Canada.
Program participants will have the opportunity to don white curatorial gloves and experience first-hand how objects are cared for and stored for future exhibitions and programs, as well as the process that goes into putting together an exhibit. McDonald has seventeen years of experience in the museum field as a curator and administrator of collections and historic houses. She has a MA in Museum Studies from The George Washington University and worked at large and small museums across the country.
“This program will be of particular interest to collectors as we will discuss ways to reach out to artists and other collectors to learn more about their passion and the conservation principles to ensure they take some simple steps to better care for their pieces from silver, textiles, carvings and challenging multi-media objects that may combine all of them. We will also discuss the importance of documenting their purchases and trades to record provenance and information about the artists in their collection. All of these steps add value and further enjoyment of a collection in the long run” say Kathleen McDonald.
“Collections Connection” is $12 for members and $15 for non-members. It is recommended for ages 12 and up. For more information, contact Visitor Services at (847)475-1030 or visitor.services@mitchellmuseum.org.
The Mitchell Museum is one of only a handful of museums in the country that focuses exclusively on the art, history and culture of American Indian and First Nation peoples throughout the United States and Canada. In 2012, The Mitchell Museum was named “Best Museum of The North Shore: Up and Comer” by Make it Better magazine, won the Superior award by the Illinois Association of Museums and was named a national finalist by the American Association of State and Local History award program. The Chicago Tribune named the Mitchell Museum one of its top 10 museums for 2015.
For more information about The Mitchell Museum of The American Indian, visit www.mitchellmuseum.org, call 847-475-1030 or see our verified Facebook page. The museum is located in Evanston, Illinois at 3001 Central Street. It is open Tuesday-Wednesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday- Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, students and children and Free for Mitchell Museum members and Tribal members.