MASTERED

The Magnes
May 18, 2017

MASTERED is the annual signature event organized by the Bay Area Emerging Museum Professionals (BAEMP).  This forum brings together new Master’s graduates, cultural sector members, and HR representatives to discuss contemporary issues in the museums profession.  Each year our board of directors selects a number of the top master’s graduates with degrees relevant to the museum field. We invite them to present their thesis research to the museum and arts community while shaping the discussions relevant to the field today.

JENNA HEBERT
Art and Technology: Remote Access to Art through Telepresence Robotics

University of San Francisco
Jenna Hebert holds a BA in Visual Arts from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA., with concentrations in painting and photography. She has lived and worked as an artist and teacher in Greece, New York, Australia and South Korea. Upon returning to the United States, she became an educator and curator for programs for artists with disabilities at Cedars Fine Arts Studios in Marin. She has organized over 25 exhibitions featuring their work. Jenna also recently assisted in developing access programs at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Her work on remote telepresence tour programs at the de Young Museum was recognized with a 2016 AAM Muse Award and inspired her research at the University of San Francisco, where she graduated with an M.A. in Museum Studies this past December.

LACEY LIEBERTHAL
Educating for Empathy

John F. Kennedy University
​Lacey Lieberthal grew up in Santa Barbara, California, but has called San Francisco “home” for several years. Throughout her time in two beautiful and historic cities, Lacey developed an appreciation for the stories that compose our past and create our present. Lacey received her B.A. in Art History/Arts Management, with a Minor in French Studies, from the University of San Francisco in 2013. Following an undergraduate internship with The Society of California Pioneers, she was hired to assist with the organization’s relocation to the Presidio of San Francisco. In 2014, she moved into the full-time role of Membership Services Coordinator & Assistant to Managing Director, supporting the organization’s operations, membership services initiatives, and board relations. Lacey will complete a dual M.B.A./M.A. in Museum Studies from John F. Kennedy University in June 2017. During graduate school, she completed an evaluation study for the Adoption Museum Project on the exhibition Operation Babylift: Perspectives & Legacies, co-curated with the Presidio Trust. Connecting her passion for people and stories, Lacey’s master’s project explores the ways in which museums educate and support staff to prepare for emotionally-charged exhibitions.​

MARIA GUILLEN
Board and Executive Director Relationships

John F. Kennedy University
​​Maria Guillen is from East Los Angeles and grew up in a biracial and biethnic family household. She moved to Berkeley California in 2008 and earned her B.A. in Anthropology and Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley in 2012. After graduating, Maria continued volunteering at the Phoebe Hearst Museum and went on an archaeological dig in Menorca, Spain. In 2014, she decided to pursue a dual M.A./M.B.A. degree in Museum Studies at John F. Kennedy University. During her graduate studies, she had a summer internship at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in the Academic Resource Center as the Activities & Events intern. Currently, she has an internship at the Marin History Museum. She also works at a restaurant called Longbranch Saloon in Berkeley as their Event Coordinator and Marketing Manager. As a museum professional, her goal is to create a working environment in which people feel welcome and comfortable to speak their opinions without the fear of feeling inadequate or uninformed to ultimately provide inspiration and information to their community. She believes that if museum leaders can create a welcoming work environment, it will be reflected in the types of exhibits and programming produced. Maria’s thesis explores the different strategies board presidents and executive directors use to foster a strong relationship to benefit an organization.

NICOLE MELDAHL 
History in Collaboration: Equalizing the Arts and Humanities in San Francisco

University of San Francisco
Nicole Meldahl is a writer, historian, and museum professional who lives and works in San Francisco. She graduated from San Francisco State University in 2008 with a B.A. in History, and worked as a freelance writer and music journalist while starting her career in museums. An undergraduate internship led to full-time employment at the Park Archives and Records Center in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area where she’s worked in various capacities since 2006. Although Nicole has stayed on as a consultant at the Park Archives, she left in June of 2016 for her current job as an Exhibitions Assistant with The Walt Disney Family Museum, where she helps to curate exhibitions and frequently lends a hand across department lines. Her great passion is local history and its relevance to contemporary life. Nicole began volunteering as the Registrar and Collections Manager for the Western Neighborhoods Project in 2012, and was asked to join the Board of Directors in 2014. In this capacity, she helps to preserve and interpret the history of San Francisco’s west side by organizing events, leading walks and giving talks, and co-managing Open SF History: a program that conserves, interprets, and digitizes approximately 100,000 donated images spanning all of San Francisco. Nicole graduated with a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies from the University of San Francisco in December 2016, and continues to freelance outside of her 9-5 gig(s) because she is a crazy person. 
Photo taken by David Gallagher at the Western Neighborhoods Project office in the Richmond District, April 2017.
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