“Nothing Happens on Accident”: Interviewing a Public Historian
Douglas Andrews is the former Visitor Engagement Coordinator at the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising. Douglas (who uses they/he pronouns) holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice and an M.A. in Media and Communications from East Tennessee State University, where they worked their way through graduate school as marketing and communications staff for the Archives of Appalachia. This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing him over the phone. Douglas’s staff page for the Avenir states that they “hope to serve the units, college, university, and community as a whole in an effort to provide a greater focus on the Avenir Museum and all the great things happening within its walls.”
Q: Tell me a little bit about your work in archives and museums.
A: I’ve worked in archival collections and museums for three years. As a graduate student, I worked in a museum within my college called the Archive of Appalachia, where I did media and marketing, social media management and administration for them. I’ve worked for the Avenir Museum for about a year and four months, where I did the same kind of work, including more general reception and guest management.
Q: What got you started in archival collections?
A: Chance. I was looking for a graduate student position to get funding. But I ended up loving it. I love history, I love learning… And the archive was in the library, so it was a calm and quiet atmosphere, which is very conducive to being a graduate student. You need all the time you can get to concentrate. I ended up spending a lot of time in the library. It led to a lot of my success.
Q: What do you love about history?
A: I love reading about where society has been because I think that offers an indication of where we might be heading in the future, for better or for worse. I do like the idea of preserving history because a lot of people need to know that story, that history, because if you’re not educated or don’t know where we’ve been, we can unfortunately run through the same mistakes our ancestors have been.
Q: As a public historian, I love to hear that. Sharing that story — that history — with others is why I do what I do. What did you find exciting about working in archives and museums?
A: Both places offered me the opportunity to combine a few of my passions: creativity and art, and then interacting with people. When you’re manning the social media or sitting at the front desk or creating flyers, you’re the one who’s directly interacting with the public. I really loved that aspect of it, knowing that I was the face of the organization or the archive. The Avenir in particular gave me the opportunity to test my skillsets such as event planning and public speaking — I got to stretch myself.
Q: What were the downsides?
A: It really depends on what your personality is, who you are as a person and what you want out of life. But the biggest drawback, I think, across the board of most museums, is that it can be lonely. You’re working long hours by yourself because it’s just one person per role. Of course, a place like the Denver Art Museum has hundreds of employees, so you’re probably never lonely there. But a lot of museums are small, nonprofit, locally funded — the Greeley History Museum might have a couple of employees for all of Greeley. If you’re okay working by yourself for long hours without seeing someone for maybe days at a time, if you like that, then museum work is perfect.
Q: Who comes into the archives or the Avenir?
A: There were a lot of similarities. Both were on campus, so the main group I saw was students. Students come in for multiple reasons — either for research or general interest or maybe they have a fascination with the subject matter. And then of course there were the locals, the very close neighborhood community, who live nearby and support what we offer. Different people from the neighborhood would come in to see the exhibits — or maybe they would have something they want to offer to the archives or the museum. Some people who come in want to donate a story or an object or piece of music. The Archives of Appalachia also digitized and archived music from Appalachia so there were pieces of music made in 1899 that were recorded and then archived. It was really neat. There was this one recording of a concert from 1925 or 1930 — at the time it was live, of course. People were just living their lives a hundred years ago. We don’t live the same kinds of lives now, but look at how similar we are, and how we’re living our lives in these similar ways.
Q: What does “visitor engagement” mean to you?
A: To me, it means that the guest has the most positive and holistic experience they can have — a complete, robust experience that doesn’t waste their time. I’m a firm believer in not wasting anyone’s time, so I want to make sure you come there, enjoy yourself, and return, and tell others about it.
Q: Did you go to a lot of museums growing up, or was starting to work in them a happy accident?
A: It was a fun surprise. I came from a socioeconomic background where museums and sightseeing and arts just wasn’t accessible.
Q: Is that something you want to change? To make museums more accessible to people who aren’t currently able to visit?
A: It’s not something my work has let me do yet, but when I’m in those roles it’s something I want to do. Unfortunately with a staff so tiny there’s only so much so many people can do at a time.
Q: Is there anything you want people to know about the Avenir? About museums in general?
A: I hope people view it with a lens of respect and come in willing to learn and keep an open mind and understand that nothing happens on accident in a museum or an archive. Try to appreciate the hours that are spent by the curation and administration staff. These people are putting in hundreds of hours a month just trying to make sure these preserved objects or archives are pristine, presented and preserved as well as they can be. It’s a public service. Have fun and enjoy yourself, but keep that in the back of your mind.
If you have a free afternoon, try visiting your local historic site or museum! It sounds like the staff would love to see you — and they’ve put a lot of work into making sure you have a good time and learn something about your area’s history. The Avenir is open 12–5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m.– 3 p.m. on Saturday. You can find them at the University Center for the Arts-East Building, 216 E Lake St. The museum’s current exhibits include Thrift Style, Nostalgia Mode, and New Threads. I hope I’ll see you there.
