Another wonderfully eventful week at the museum! This week, I spoke to three more OSU clubs, completed five 1-on-1 meetings with Ruth Lomax and CMA staff, attended a documentary screening program, and concluded the week with the July Night Shift. It’s crazy to think we only have about a month left of this fellowship, so I want to make as much progress here while I can! 

This week, I spoke with Macie from OSU’s Women’s Glee Club, Aurora from the CTRL + Paint club, and Mac from the Ohio Union Activities Board. I’m honestly surprised by how many students are willing to meet with me virtually during the summer when most of them are back at home. This week’s club individuals were even more enthusiastic about College Night Shift than last week’s, which gives me a lot of hope for this project! My boss Julie wants to organize a visit to the Pizzuti with any interested club members who are in Columbus for July. By doing this, students can see the exhibition, Bar Room, and visualize how College Night Shift would work within the Pizzuti space. Additionally, engaging club members both virtually and in-person makes a convincing case for student enthusiasm and demand for this event to our Executive Director. I genuinely enjoy meeting with students to make a real connection with them and their clubs. It’s also a fun exercise to pitch College Night Shift differently depending on the student and club interest! 

Our biweekly professional development at the Columbus Foundation was another highlight of the week. Challen and Margaret shared their experiences in marketing and storytelling at the Columbus Foundation, emphasizing the importance of empathy and authenticity in effective marketing. Dr. Lomax also led another great discussion about passion, featuring TedTalks by Simon Sinek and Dr. Barbara Hodges. After our PD session, fellow fellows Eva and Elena joined me for a delightful lunch at the museum!  

Additionally, I continued my networking initiative and had five more 1-on-1 chats this week! I first met with Ruth Lomax, City Year Executive Director, who was incredibly encouraging and generously shared more about her career in nonprofits. I then spoke with Molly (Assistant Curator of American Art) to learn about her curatorial process of the East of the Pacific (2026). With Danny, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, it was so interesting to learn about his contributions to the Art After Stonewall (2020) show and his curatorial vision of the Tavares Strachan show (2026, currently on view in Pizzuti). I later met with Kaitlin, Associate Curator of Photography, who told me about the upcoming show Queer Constellations and also gave me some great digital camera recommendations! My last 1-on-1 was with Kristina, Donor Engagement and Events Manager, who told me all about the fascinating finances of our three biggest fundraising events.

In addition to meeting with so many wonderful people, I continued research for a future vinyl-listening program for Julie, attended a documentary screening for East of the Pacific, and will attend this month’s Night Shift tonight! See you next week!

– Muji