First Blog Post

Hi all, 

I’m Landyn, a fourth-year in the Museum Studies program. 

The first museum experience that I can recall was in 2007, when my mom,
upon learning that I had selected Betsy Ross as the subject of my second-grade
book report, squirreled me away on her yearly trip to Philadelphia. To this day,
I’ll swear that visiting the Betsy Ross House --and later, the Tutankhamun and the
Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit at the Franklin Institute* -- caused
something to awaken in me. Through museums, my insatiable quest for
knowledge found its home, and I like to think that I did too. 

For me, museums have always been a safe space-- a space in which I can
learn without restriction, and breathlessly share knowledge. In museums,
I’m allowed the chance to flex my brain-- to shamelessly become, as I so fondly
put it, “a plethora of useless knowledge.” It’s a constant source of intellectual
stimulation, and no two museum experiences are ever the same.
Honestly, it’s intoxicating. 

I’m fascinated by the museum experience, by that “Oh!” moment when everything
comes crashing down, and the visitor’s worldview realigns to accommodate
something new. It’s my belief that everyone --regardless of race, gender,
socioeconomic status, etc.-- deserves to experience the “Oh!” moment in the
museum space at least once in their lifetimes. 

My quest to expand my knowledge base has diversified these past few years.
Nowadays, it’s not good enough for me to think only of my own comfort
in the museum space-- I need to know that everyone is afforded the same rights
concerning knowledge and accessibility. I need to strive to constantly amend my
worldview, continually develop my sense of empathy, and always keep learning. 

______________________________________________________________________

*Seven year-old Landyn was a weird little kid knee-deep in her Egyptology phase. Why talk
about Disney princesses when I could tell you all about my favorite Egyptian goddess? 

A photo from my most recent Philadelphia trip. I'm always a sucker for museum ethics!