Like at any nonprofit, Kenya Evans wears a couple of hats at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), where he’s worked for 25 years. His dual role as visitor engagement manager and preparator means he makes the museum welcoming to guests as well as to incoming artwork.

When an exhibit ends, Evans is part of the team that prepares the space for the next one. This means packing and unpacking artwork, liaising with shipping teams, tearing down walls, rebuilding walls, painting walls. Every exhibit layout is different, he says, and so is the artwork. Depending on the artist or institution the pieces are coming from, there are special protocols to follow when handling the art. As an artist himself—his work was in the 2006 Whitney Biennial—Evans knows that while a painter may walk all over a canvas in their studio, when it arrives at a museum, it’s fragile.

After shows are up and running, Evans switches gears to managing the front-of-house staff, who guard the art and ensure the museum’s rules are followed. The biggest issue in this social media age is people “wanting to do a fashion shoot,” he says, taking photos and even bringing tripods. The team also greets guests, answering questions and making sure they understand where to go and what to do. “Anything to make the person feel welcome and comfortable,” Evans explains. “I try to take the idea that the museum is my home, and I am the host.” —EB

Volunteer docents play an important role at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH). From sharing insights about the art to making conversation, docents bring an exhibit to life. Ashley McGinnis, docent council chair and a volunteer of seven years, guides visitors, including many children, on one-hour tours.

On a typical day, McGinnis shows up 30 minutes before a tour, checking that pieces are still in the galleries (as changes are frequent) and reviewing her notes. “Our goal is to get in front of a work of art and be a detective,” she says. “What do the kids think they’re looking at? What is it made out of? It’s really fun…kids say different things about the same piece of art every time, and, in turn, that gets me thinking about the art in a different way, too.”

Docent education is a priority at the MFAH, which provides resources like walks with curators, workshops, discussions, and classes to enhance their skills. “The way we are trained is to be able to stop at any piece of art and simply spark up a conversation,” she says.

McGinnis says third and fourth graders really respond to modern art, and with about 20,000 kids joining tours every year, she’s doing something right. Some have never been to the MFAH or even a museum before, so she tries to get them involved without overloading them. 

“Art gets pushed to the side sometimes,” she says, “and there’s usually a moment on a tour where you can see that connection. It’s such a special moment.” —GD

The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum is dedicated to the history and legacy of African American soldiers. To curate a well-rounded collection of artifacts, documents, and military uniforms, Jason Fung’s role is crucial. He thinks an archivist must be very detail-oriented, respect the history, and understand the nuances that go into verifying artifacts. “Everyone that comes into the museum has a unique story to tell,” Fung says. “At the end of the day, the artifacts must fit into the museum’s mission and vision.”

Before anything goes on display, the museum team requests digital images from the source. If the item is of interest, they bring it in for a physical examination, and Fung must do extensive research to verify its authenticity. “Some people are not sure what they even have, so it’s my job to inspect the artifact and confirm its significance,” Fung says. He works closely with the director of submissions, curator, collections manager, and conservator to make final decisions. Then, Fung writes a summary of his research for visitors to read at the museum.

Fung says one of the most satisfying parts of his job is the museum’s Living History program, where he teaches kids the importance of history. “I hold an artifact in my hands, like an antique firearm, and show the kids how to handle and identify it,” Fung says. “Just to see the spark in their eyes is so rewarding. What other museum lets you hold a historic gun or sword? We’re creating memories that hopefully get them to respect and love history.” —GD

If the quirky reels of the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) have come across your social media feed, know that they take a village—nine team members, to be exact, and an incredible amount of work brainstorming, scripting, shooting, editing, and more. Director of social media Michael Rathke and social media manager Jilliane Johnson say that creating content for HMNS is a highly collaborative process: ideas are pitched at a roundtable meeting, often based on exhibits or events, and everyone is assigned a role.

While the museum’s blogs and podcasts go in-depth into educational topics, Rathke calls what they do on the social channels “edutainment.” Most videos check one or more of four boxes: they make people laugh, teach them something new, inspire them, or tell them a story. The result has a comedic bent but still relies on creative, informative storytelling. The team finds this approach most conducive to engaging followers and potential visitors, even those who may not care about natural science. “We’re always trying to reach new audiences,” Johnson says.

Rathke and Johnson’s absolute favorite video is their Halloween-themed “Nightmare at the Museum,” not unlike the 2006 Ben Stiller movie that inspired the title. For the video, the crew got to run around HMNS after hours, learned new things they later incorporated into other projects, and, best of all, had a blast. “People responded in such a positive way, both in and outside the museum,” Johnson says, adding that it was a pivotal moment not just for the team, but for the museum itself. —EB

To display a piece of art takes more than just a nail on the wall—it’s all in the details. At the Menil Collection, that’s where Kent Dorn comes in. As an exhibition designer, Dorn works collaboratively with curators, art installers, and artists to create a vision for each exhibit. This can entail everything from lighting and changing wall colors to art placement and changing the exhibit’s general flow. “For the Menil, it’s a very subtle way of guiding the visitors,” Dorn says. “We’re essential to the process of realizing an exhibition and all its elements. We have to create a story and take into consideration the in-between of the artwork and how one thing informs another to guide visitors.”

For Dorn, who’s worked at the Menil for 15 years, this was a dream job since college. Today, he’s on the exhibition visualization side of things, and makes sure everything is running smoothly. When he first started, he was making art models of the museum by hand, and later shifted to planning spaces virtually by using 3-D rendering programs and VR that assimilate light and texture.

At any given moment, Dorn is working on 15 to 20 projects at a time, but he says he wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s all about being visually curious, patient, working with others, and constantly shifting gears,” Dorn says. “That’s what makes it entertaining for me. I’m an artist and make large graphite drawings, and I have sort of a whim of curiosity which bleeds into this role.” —GD