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Museums Spark Passions: Where Are They Now? | Madisyn Rostro

Posted on June 15, 2024 at 9:02 AM by Alisha Abner

Madisyn Rostro was a University Museums intern at the Farm House Museum where she was able to try out different roles to figure out what area within the museum field was right for her. Madisyn co-curated three exhibitions, led tours, and worked closely with the collections. In Madisyn’s words:

Interning at the historic home sparked my passion to continue working for other historic homes at the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site and the Carson House & Museum. When working at the Farm House Museum, I became attached to historic structures and learned the challenges of working in a space that struggles with relative humidity, temperature, pests, etc. The experiences and skills I gained at the Farm House Museum have undeniably shaped my museum career. I am grateful for the support and opportunities provided by the University Museums to advance my emerging museum career.

Madisyn graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in History and Anthropology (’22). She went on to graduate last month from University of New Mexico (UNM) with a M.A. in Museum Studies (’24). At UNM, Madisyn held positions at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, the New Mexico History Museum, and the Carson House & Museum.

“Currently, I am a research assistant with the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, where I work on facilitating internal and external research requests involving the collections and archives within our repositories,” says Madisyn. She also works for the Carson House & Museum as a project assistant, mainly working with their collections. “There, I assist the museum in its database conversion into the program PastPerfect and help them adhere to the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) standards for their collections,” she says. University Museums is honored to spark Madisyn’s passion and is pleased to share her career update.

Photos provided by Madisyn Rostro.

Madisyn Rostro with fellow graduate student Erika Alvero Koski assisting in an exhibition installation at Maxwell Museum of Anthropology.

Madisyn Rostro inventorying objects at the Carson House & Museum.

Madisyn Rostro adding catalog numbers to textiles at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology.

Madisyn Rostro in front of the New Mexico History Museum entrance.

Madisyn Rostro rehousing objects at the New Mexico History Museum.

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