The Museum of Kansas City - Itzel Garcia-Hernandez, Week 2

 Hello, everyone! Welcome back to my internship recap. This week has been amazing, and I got to participate many great activities.

July 13

I arrived bright and early at 9am to help set up for an event that was happening on the east lawn of the Museum of Kansas City in partnership with the StoneLion Theatre. It was an event mainly for kids with puppets, fairies, facepainting, crafting, and ice cream. I helped set up the tents, tables, and chairs, and helped set up prizes for a scavenger hunt that was also happening during the event. The event started at 1pm and I along with Paul, the one who planned the event, started to check people in. It was so nice getting to see kids have fun. I especially loved seeing the little outfits they had on as many of them had dressed up as fairies.

I feel that it was a great example of how MKC tries to be more than museum, more than a place to learn about history; it tries to be a place where the community can come together, a place where people can interact and have fun.

July 16

This time I got to visit another museum in Kansas City named the Bruce R. Watkins Center, named after a political and social activist who was the first African American to serve on the city council. I was able to sit through and participate in one of the center's educational programs and was able to talk one on one with Oralee, Bruce R. Watkins's great niece. The kids there were learning about poetry, drawing, using AI responsibly, and there were two guest speakers who came to talk about bullying and starting your own business. 

The thing that really blew me away was how all of the family was involved, as Oralee's brother was one of the guest speakers as well as her aunt. The whole family works together to keep the legacy of Bruce R. Watkins alive. However, what really touched me was the conversation I was able to have with Oralee wherein she explained to me in greater depth what the goal of these educational programs really are about. Many of the kids there come from families with few resources and are often homeschooled because of harsh circumstances so this program is made to fill in the gaps within their education, while also teaching them to be proud of their history. The Center is a place where these kids can explore their interests, gain abilities that they can use in all aspects of life, interact with people from the same backgrounds; it is a place that will help them achieve their dreams, while also remembering where they came from.

July 17-18

These two days I mostly worked at the front desk and helped with check in at one of the events happening at the museum. The event was about the history of burnt ends in Kansas City, a type of BBQ. There was a film shown, a more in depth talk by one of the guests, and lastly, we were able to taste some samples of the burnt ends.

And that is all I have for you guys this week. Overall, this week was really fulfilling, and it helped me gain a better insight into the role of museums within the community. See you all next week!