Student Leah Thomas at the Sid Richardson Museum in Fort Worth, TX

This summer, I spent eleven weeks as an intern in the Sid Richardson Museum Education Department in Fort Worth, Texas. The Sid Richardson Museum is a collection of Western Art, primarily that of Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. I was fortunate to work with a very caring and encouraging staff who spent the first four weeks teaching me about museum resources and introducing me to the Sid Richardson collection. My internship project focused on a new family education program to be implemented later this year. The final product will be an iPad program consisting of an audio script, images, and sound effects. My part in the development of this program was to research two assigned artworks, write the audio scripts based on this research, and compile relevant images to appear on the iPad. I additionally created an associated Young Viewers’ Guide for each piece of art, intended for five to seven year olds. I now more fully appreciate the extensive research, editing, and time that is required to develop children’s museum programs, and am inspired to see the positive influence art can have on people’s lives.

Leah is a junior Archaeology and Art History double-major at UE.