Harvard Art Museums Staff Spotlight  Meet Tara Metal, Digital Content Manager, and the guest of this week’s Harvard Art Museums Staff Spotlight! Managing the museums’ social media platforms and special projects hosted online, Tara works closely with departments across the museums to create all sorts of online content that highlight the collections, programs, exhibitions, and people of the Harvard Art Museums. Joining the team almost five years ago, Tara has gradually transitioned from focusing solely on running the Museums’ social media presence to now managing many projects focused on “exploring the online exhibition model” and connecting the Museums with its visitors remotely. One such project is the Audio Tour of the Forbes Pigment Collection, which takes visitors through a guided tour of the pigment collection “actively used by the Museums’ conservators and conservation scientists.” Tara emphasizes that she seeks to use features like the website, social media posts, and event promotion to present “everything [the Museums] have to offer” in a way that respects the works but also presents them in a “very publicly accessible” way, making it a goal of hers to “gain the trust of curators, conservators,” and all of those she works with. One of her favorite memories working at the Museums is when she photographed “ paintings conservator [Ellen Davis] touching up [Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s The Blessed Damozel],” commenting on the “gorgeous glow of the painting.” For those interested in pursuing a career as a Digital Content Manager, Tara stresses how “it’s very different from running personal social media accounts” and requires you to “speak for the institution and its exhibitions” as its “outward facing voice.” Beyond that, she suggests “getting as much marketing oriented writing experience as possible” and reaching out to anyone you know who currently works in the role you want. - Tara was interviewed by Zavier Chavez '23 Want to learn more about a career in museums? Attend our virtual museum career panel on Wednesday, April 7 to explore the types of careers you can pursue!
From our Friends....
Confused about NFTs? So are we. Thankfully, curator Mary Schneider Enriquez recently sat down with the Harvard Gazette to shed some light on this emerging art market. For a comedic approach to cryptocurrency, check out this Saturday Night Live skit.
For those of us who miss wandering the galleries of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, be sure to check out their new virtual tour!
On April 13, the Davis Museum at Wellesley College will present a virtual panel exploring the unique challenges and opportunities college and university art museums face as they pursue decolonial strategies. Register for free here.
The Glenstone Museum is currently accepting applications for a Summer Graduate Conservation Intern. The internship, open to those enrolled in a recognized conservation training program or have equivalent training, will provide a unique opportunity to work with Glenstone’s superlative collection of post-World War II artworks. More info here.
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is currently accepting applications for the remote Summer College Workshop 2021. Learn more here.
In partnership with the National Women’s History Museum and Chief, artist Simon Berger created a dramatic portrait honoring Vice President Kamala Harris. Made of broken glass by hammer, the work commemorates Vice President Harris as a historical glass ceiling breaker. | 
