Museum Exhibits
These are three museum exhibits I have worked on within the doctorate program at Middle Tennessee State University. I also have experience with exhibit design and exhibiting special collection books and archival materials from my bachelor's program at Flagler College.
Rutherford County Heritage Center: Two Families, Two Revolutions
During my second year at MTSU, I worked with the Center for Historic Preservation at the Rutherford County Heritage Center. I helped in the layout and editorial process of the Two Stories, Two Revolutions exhibit. I edited the panels created by Abigal Coomes, an MTSU PhD candidate, and Taylor Means, an MTSU MA graduate. I also worked with Morgan Condrey, an MTSU MA graduate, and Amy NeeSmith, an MTSU MA graduate, on the museum layout, exhibit design, and the mini descriptions of specific museum items.
Bradley Academy: Stories of Black Murfreesboro and Rutherford County
During my first year at MTSU, I worked with Dr. Martin and the Essentials to Museum Management and Seminar in Museum Management classes to help create the Stories of Black Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. I assisted in the communication aspect of the exhibit, including communicating with the Bradley Academy staff, the graphic designer, and different vendors for quotes. I created a rough budgeting plan for this exhibit and an item list of what objects would be in the space. I worked closely with Miranda Elliot, an MTSU MA graduate, and Anna Kate Holt, an MTSU MA graduate, to research and write the paneling for the black businesses in Murfreesboro. I also assisted in tearing down the past exhibit to make the space available for the current exhibit.
Rutherford County Historic Courthouse Virtual Tour
During the Spring semester of 2023, I was the project manager for the Rutherford County Historic Courthouse Virtual Tour, a project featuring a fully accessible virtual tour using a free program, Lapentor. I worked with Miranda Elliott, an MTSU MA graduate, John Jones, an MTSU MA graduate, and Emily McMillen, an MTSU MA student. We used a Vuse XR 360 camera to capture the museum from the first to the third floor. We scanned each panel, photograph, and label for each room so that each piece could be zoomed in on, read, and observed; we also took standard photographs of all the items, including the touch screen and slideshow in the exhibit. We each took turns recording each panel within the courthouse so the tour could be listened to, and we consulted with my stepbrother, Favio Alvarado, to translate all of the panels and labels into Spanish. Please use this link to view the tour: ​Rutherford County Historic Courthouse Museum.