December & January 2025-26

As I write this a little way into February, I cannot help but look back at the past two months with a lot of gratitude! The end of 2025 was a whirlwind, and even though I only spent about three weeks of December in Catskill, it still felt full of memorable experiences, exciting projects, and meaningful milestones.

One of the biggest highlights of December was a trip to New York City with Maya and Kate. We had the opportunity to visit several remarkable women in the museum world and hear about their careers, collections, and experiences. We first visited Annette Blaugrund, former director of the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts and former curator at institutions including the Brooklyn Museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the New-York Historical Society. It was such a pleasure to see her incredible collection and talk with her about her long and impressive career in the arts.

With the added joy of having Annette with us, we then visited the New-York Historical, where we explored some of their fascinating collections and exhibitions on New York City. We also met Wendy Ikemoto, Vice President and Chief Curator, who generously showed us around. After a walk through Central Park, we made our way to The Met, where we met Caroline Gillaspie, Assistant Curator of American Painting and Drawing. She gave us a wonderful tour of the American galleries, where we got to see Thomas Cole’s iconic The Oxbow alongside other extraordinary works.

Maya & I with The Oxbow.

It was truly inspiring to hear from these highly accomplished women and learn more about the many paths a career in the arts can take. Their stories reminded me that there is no one traditional route, that pivots are always possible, and that passion and hard work really do open doors over time.

To round out the trip, we stopped by The Frick Collection to see its newly installed space. It was amazing, and definitely a place I hope to return to when I have more time to fully take it in. I was especially interested in how they used the Bloomberg Connects app throughout the galleries, particularly in a space with so few wall labels. It gave me a lot to think about as I continue my own audio for the Thomas Cole Site and interpretive work.

Back in Catskill, the winter season brought both challenges and accomplishments. I was able to create my own version of a wintertime tour that highlighted what the winter season would have looked like when Thomas Cole lived here, giving me even more opportunities to strengthen my public speaking and visitor engagement skills. I continued my interpretation work by wrapping up additional audio files I had collected from staff and community members. They all got posted to our Bloomberg Connects guide and really added a whole new accessible depth!

I also spent a lot of time practicing my personal narrative speech with Warner. Writing and rehearsing an oral presentation about something so personal was definitely challenging, but it was also really rewarding to feel my voice, diction, and confidence grow in real time. By January, I delivered the official speech, and I am genuinely so proud of how it went. It felt like one of those moments where I could actually see my public speaking skills improving in a real, tangible way.

Another major milestone was finishing the plant guide, which officially went to print in January. Seeing that project through to completion felt incredibly rewarding. It has been exciting to work on something so rooted in place and interpretation, and even more exciting to hold the finished product in print!

January also brought new opportunities to contribute beyond my original projects. I joined the marketing team to help more with social media, which has been a fun and energizing way to think about audience engagement from another angle. I also had the chance to visit The Hyde Collection, which was a wonderful experience and another reminder of how valuable it is to keep learning from different institutions and approaches. I really enjoyed how the historic house and the contemporary gallery spaces are in conversation with one another based on the current exhibition. 

The education space at the Hyde Collection that was super inspiring!

Outside of work, winter in Catskill has certainly been an adjustment. There has been lots of snow, and I am still learning how to stay warm!  Still, there has been plenty of joy in the season too, from holiday time spent both in North Carolina and Catskill to small routines like yoga and book club that have helped make this place feel more and more like home.

Looking back, December and January were full in every sense of the word. They brought travel, learning, project milestones, and a lot of growth. I am excited to carry that momentum into the rest of the fellowship year!