In June, the Georgia Museum of Art welcomed Sarah Gattis to its staff as a gallery guide. In this role, she will be engaging visitors in conversations about the artwork on display, observing and protecting the art from potential damage and answering questions about the museum and its collection. Through these responsibilities, Gattis plays an important part in creating an environment where visitors can feel comfortable asking questions and developing their own connections to the works around them.
Gattis’ ability to connect with visitors stems from an academic background in education and teaching. She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Georgia, and her years of study helped her develop the communication skills that now shape her interactions with museum visitors. When reflecting on her teaching experience, Gattis says, “I discovered my favorite subject to teach, social studies, was not only about teaching stories, but also protecting stories from being lost.” Discovering this passion inspired her to pursue new ways of preserving stories and making history accessible to future generations.
In the fall, Gattis will begin an online master’s degree program in library and information sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her emphasis will focus on archives and collections management, a field that will allow her to combine her love of learning with her interest in helping the past endure into the future.
Gattis’ passion for preserving stories expands beyond the scope of visual art. She is also enthusiastic about other forms of media preservation, including theme park attractions and animatronics, costumes, movies and more. After spending a summer in the Disney College Program during her undergraduate years, Sarah worked at the Magic Kingdom and greeted guests in the park, which she credits as the beginning of her love of preserving Disney media. When she’s not busy keeping stories alive, Gattis can be found practicing her other interests and intellectual pursuits, including playing rhythm games, coloring or watching video essays.
As a museum gallery guide, Gattis has found a home to preserve the threads of memory through art. Through her work, she will help preserve the past while encouraging visitors to discover stories of their own.
Authored by:
Tatum Ozment
