Interested in a museum career? Join us Monday, March 8, at 5:30 PM, for an evening exploring a variety of museum careers with a special group of museum professionals, including Skidmore alumni. Geared toward Skidmore College students and recent graduates, this Zoom event will offer students the opportunity to hear first-hand about various types of museums and the variety of jobs within them. The event will also be an opportunity for visitors to ask questions and to network with the panelists and each other.

The panelists are:

• Elise Fariello ‘11, Archives Specialist, National Archives at Chicago

• Morgan Chanon-Smith '18, Special Events Assistant, Whitney Museum of American Art

• Jackie Madison, President, North Country Underground Railroad Historical Society

• Irina Rubenstein '11, Education Specialist, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

• Hannah Traore '17, Project Manager, Isolde Brielmaier

• Alec Unkovic '12, Exhibitions Manager, The Fabric Workshop and Museum

The moderators for the event are Nathan Bloom ’21, the 2020-21 Eleanor Linder Winter Endowed Intern at the Tang, and Madeleine Ward-Schultz '22, member of the Tang Student Advisory Council.

This online event is free and open to Skidmore students and recent graduates. The format will be a one-hour moderated panel discussion via Zoom Webinar, followed by two breakout sessions. Links provided upon registration. Closed Captioning will be provided. Register via Zoom.

Exploring Museum Careers is co-sponsored by the Skidmore College Arts Administration Department.

About the Participants

Elise Fariello ’11 is an Archives Specialist at the National Archives at Chicago, the office responsible for preserving and providing access to the federal records of the Great Lakes states. She is active in professional organizations such as the Midwest Archives Conference and the Chicago Area Archivists.

Morgan Chanon-Smith ’18 is a Special Events Assistant at the Whitney Museum of American Art where she plans and executes internal exhibition openings; key fundraising events like the Whitney Art Party and Gala; and external corporate rental events. During the pandemic, she helped the Whitney shift to virtual events.

Jacqueline Madison is the President of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association which oversees the North Star Underground Railroad Museum. She retired from Pfizer/Wyeth in 2010 as a Principal Toxicology Information Specialist for Drug Safety and has degrees in chemistry and library and information management. 

Irina Rubenstein ’11 lives in Washington, D.C. and has worked in the museum field for over seven years. Currently she works at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery as an Education Specialist. In this role, she develops innovative and creative educational programs for students, families, teens, and adults, and creates inquiry-based teaching strategies around Portrait Gallery exhibitions.

Hannah Traore ’17 has been the Painting and Sculpture Curatorial Intern at the Museum of Modern Art, and the Installation Coordinator at Fotografiska, New York. Hannah is a project manager to NYU professor and independent curator Isolde Brielmaier. Hannah is also a curator at Oarbt, a digital exhibition space aiming to disrupt the contemporary art market by bringing together the global art community through immersive technology.

Alec Unkovic ’12 is the Exhibitions Manager at The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With FWM since 2013, he oversees the onsite and touring exhibitions programs, having managed major projects of new work by renowned contemporary artists.