SUMMER INTERNS MAKE A MARK

This past summer, Mystic Seaport Museum hosted seventeen interns, the most diverse group thus far at the Museum. Students from across the country, with different backgrounds and educational experiences, worked on projects related to the upcoming Entwined exhibit as well as in Curatorial, Human Resources, Finance, IT, Marketing, Advancement, Interpretation, and the President’s office. Bringing together unique backgrounds in a collaborative environment fostered creativity and innovation. As the interns shared their cultural insights, they helped to create a more inclusive and understanding work community. Interns worked alongside Museum staff and offered fresh approaches to problem-solving, challenging conventional thinking and encouraging adaptability. By embracing diversity in summer internships, the Museum continues its work to cultivate an environment that celebrates differences and nurtures talent, resulting in a more resilient and successful workforce, which ensures a brighter and more inclusive future. The Museum is grateful to its partners from the Mellon Foundation-funded Reimagining New England Histories Project and Smithsonian Affiliations’ 2023 Leadership for Change Internship in cooperation with the Emerson Collective Youth Collaborative, as well as donors to the 2022 America and the Sea Award Gala paddle raise and others who were instrumental in providing funding for the internship program.

The Museum recently played a key role and backdrop for the Magnolia Network show In With the Old. The premise of the show follows designers, builders, and old-home enthusiasts on their journey of reimagining historical homes to give them new purpose. Unlike Fixer Upper, which featured the Magnolia Network founders Chip and Joanna Gaines’ journey to remodel homes for their clients in and around Waco, Texas, each episode of In With the Old follows the projects of homeowners through their own restoration experiences.

Fans of home remodeling shows know that there is a relatively consistent recipe of elements for successfully drawing in and engaging the viewer: the audible sound of a hammer hitting nails, the demolition of a kitchen that has seen better days, and ultimately the evolution of what often seems like a hopeless disaster of a house into one’s dream home. Woven intricately between those scenes is the exploration of design elements, taking viewers on a journey as the host visits an antique shop to find perfect pieces that harmonize the home with its new owners, or visits a local woodworker to build a custom table that perfectly accommodates the needs of the expanding family in desperate