Working in a museum is seldom dull. Things go wrong. Staff gets silly. Things get said that would sound strange in other environments. Some of my favorite moments are when time periods collide and you catch one of us doing something modern while in costume. Here are some examples of some of the things that happen when you work in a museum.
Things get burnt
I often get asked by guests is the fire in the hearth is real. It is, and it is hot, and if you turn your back on something that is cooking for even a moment, this is what happens.
Wildlife
Many museums are located in parks and natural settings. This comes with animals. One morning I arrived at work to find that the raccoon we were trying to capture evaded our trap, but we did manage to trap this skunk. Yep…the skunk did spray when a group of screaming children ran past its cage and frightened it. The spray permeated the historic log cabin it was sitting beside, and the cabin had to be closed until the smell dissipated.
Research
When you work in a museum you are constantly researching, often between tours and over your lunch break.
Worlds Collide
In an effort to attract younger people to the museum, we decided to become a Pokemon stop. My coworker and I decided to head outside to chase one of the pesky critters away with our brooms.
You use what you have
When you work in a museum you sometimes use things in a way that is not exactly ‘correct’ like heating up your pizza lunch in a reflector oven.
When you work in a museum you get to dress sheep in Steampunk attire to promote an upcoming event.
Sometimes you use things in creative ways, such as turning irons and butter churns into smartphone tripods.
Fun things happen, like a pizza truck asking if they can use your parking lot to distribute free pizza as part of a promotion. We said yes!
A Goodly Amount 