In August, the Georgia Museum of Art welcomed Lily Herne as a Museum Shop associate. In this position, she oversees cycle counting, restocks popular items and provides support and assistance to customers visiting the shop. Herne found her introduction to the museum as an employee very welcoming. She said, “It felt like being ushered onto a large ship where everyone from all decks says, ‘Welcome aboard,’ and they mean it.”
Prior to joining the Museum Shop, Herne worked at the Lyndon House Arts Center as visitor services program leader. That office previously included a gallery shop, and visitors frequently asked Herne if the shop was returning. When she learned of the museum’s plan to expand its visitor experience department, she was intrigued.
In addition to interacting with guests, she enjoys visits from colleagues who want to grab a quick snack from the shop and have fun exchanges about art, culture and more. In between tasks, she likes to familiarize herself with the artist biographies the shop sells. She says, “There is always a story worth opening, with clean pages of a new person to discover from the inside out.” Beyond reading about artists, she also enjoys learning about the museum’s current and past exhibitions so she can better understand the product inventory.
Herne graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in theater performance. Her favorite part of being an actor was learning about each character she played. Outside of work, she is a musician and artist who enjoys composing dreamrock, ballroom dancing and spending time with her little ones. She truly enjoys art in her own life and brings this love and joy to her job at the museum.
Authored by:
Sundus Abukar
