The Day-to-Day of an Education Intern

As an education intern, the majority of my work at the Ellwood House revolves around our many youth programs. I help with organizing the Ellwood Explorers series and I give tours of the mansion, but most of my time is spent on our Frame of Mind student art initiative. For those unfamiliar, Frame of Mind is where we accept art submissions from local students aged K-12, frame the pieces, and then display them in the Ellcourt Mansion.

The final part of this program is displaying the work around DeKalb County for a year, and I was tasked with finding local businesses interested in participating. I reached out to a number of businesses from libraries to animal hospitals and found so many people interested in supporting and encouraging young artists in our community. My personal favorite piece, “Fish” by 2nd grader Emmett Barry, is being displayed at the Ellwood House.

Besides Frame of Mind, I’ve also been working on streamlining our kids' birthday party packages. My job is to create a comprehensive list of materials and supplies, as well as to create a guide for staff members to follow. Our birthday party packages include decorations and activities so it’s important that even those new to the museum can follow the template. As a part of this I’ve been cleaning out our storage in the Curiosity Shop and compiling an inventory sheet, so I’m able to confidently say we have approximately two hundred and eighty markers and five bags of rocks.

I’ve also been able to do some bonus activities for the museum. I created two sticker designs to be sold at our giftshop–one is reminiscent of a scout patch and advertises our Ellwood Explorers program and the other is of our logo. Besides that, I’ve been able to volunteer at local events to work directly with the community and advertise our various exhibits and events.

Overall, my time at the Ellwood House has been both rewarding and enriching. From supporting youth art to community involvement, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute in meaningful and creative ways. These experiences have deepened my appreciation for museum work and the positive impact it can have on the local community. I’m grateful to have played a part in fostering creativity, education, and engagement at the Ellwood House.