It didn’t take long to realize the assistant editor position at the Georgia Museum of Art was the dream job I didn’t know I wanted. I was confident that I would like working at the museum — I’d get to hone editorial skills I already had while learning new ones — but I did not realize how much I would enjoy it. I could peek at works of art in the galleries while I replenished print materials, snap pictures of relatives in the Family Day photo booth, distribute our award-winning exhibition catalogues to various institutions and learn about artists and their works while I edited and researched content for publications. I also got to manage Facet and help maintain our blog (those last two tasks sometimes presented opportunities to do one of my favorite things in the world: write).
Like most people in the workforce, I saw my job change during the ongoing pandemic. My apartment abruptly became my office around the second week of March. What didn’t change was how awesome working in the museum’s communications department was. We quickly shifted gears to provide more virtual content ranging from blog posts, social media content and online exhibitions and more. We made a conscious effort to continue being there for the community, even if it meant doing this from behind a computer screen. In doing so, our department bonded even more.
Even before the pandemic, the museum staff always seemed kind, passionate and competent. Whenever you stepped inside the museum, you were always greeted by several friendly faces and colleagues who genuinely cared about you as a person, in addition to your professional role there.
My experience at the museum (both in person and virtually) taught me you never know what unexpected gems you’ll come across when you branch out of your comfort zone. And while The Office’s Andy Bernard’s line, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them,” can definitely be applied during this pandemic era, I’m grateful to have been cognizant of the good days at the museum before I left them.
Besides, the coolest part about transitioning from museum staff to museum patron is that I never truly have to say goodbye.
Assistant editor Candice Lawrence is now Georgia Power-Grady College Graduate Assistant at the University of Georgia Press. We already miss her very much.
Authored by:
Candice Lawrence
