#whenyouworkinamuseum

[coberlinphoto]

#artwatchers #diewocheaufinstagram #harfzimmermann #berlin #whenyouworkinamuseum (hier: C/O Berlin)

[archaeologeek]

The scale my boss gave me for grad school

[maryrosemuseum]

Don't Be Afraid of "The Man"!

"Every child who's become a bit overexcited in a museum has heard those dreaded words "You behave yourself, or The Man will tell you off", like he's some uniformed version of the bogeyman, preying on unruly children and punishing them in some undefined way that strikes fear into the hearts of all children. But does "The Man" deserve this reputation for ferocity?"

[museumdoubleentendre]

That moment when a volunteer cancels before a massive community festival where your museum has a kids’ art activity booth, leaving just yourself and one teacher to cover 6 hrs. You’re expecting a minimum of 500 kids over the course of the day.

[sierracharliesahara]

Harassment is never ok

This is a personal story, but it's one that I know has been mirrored by many at the museum I work. I work in the client service department of a national museum in my country so I'm always in contact with visitors. There is way too much harassment going on in public spaces. 

So visitors feel entitled to the artifacts at your museum because:

They think they own them (because taxes, political affiliation,  religious ties, historical or cultural reasons, etc.). They feel they can touch, break, play, remove, (etc.) the objects.

When you get in "their way" they become abusive, either verbally or physically. We all have our stories of being yelled at, pushed, insulted, followed, threatened.

However for me the worse is having to deal with visitors who act like they own "ME". I despise being belittled and harassed because someone feels superior to me.

This weekend some guy though it would be funny to make me uncomfortable by making loud sexually suggestive comments at me and coming extremely close to me.

When I told my story my coworkers were appalled, but someone said: Boys will be boys. That shattered me for a moment, until someone stepped up and replied: Actually, no, boys can sometimes be jackasses and I'm sorry. They offered me support and ideas on how to react. My colleagues offered me the security that I needed.

I love my coworkers because I know that no matter what you'll be there for me! So thank you!