Museum of Sonoma County | Art · History | Behind the Scenes with Collections Manager, Megan Kane

I am the Collections Manager here at the Museum of Sonoma County, and I am going to let you behind the scenes of the Museum and tell you a little bit about what I do.

It is my job as the Collections Manager to care for all of the objects, artworks, documents, etc. that are in the Museum’s collection, as well as any items that are on loan to us from other museums, institutions, and private individuals. This is a wide-ranging job that includes everything from the daily care of the collection, to preparing items for display in our exhibitions, to negotiating loan terms with other museums. When I sit down to work in the morning, I hardly know what I may get up to in the course of my workday!

Basic collections care keeps me on my toes from day to day. Ultimately, it is my job to keep track of each and every object in our care, what it is, where it is, what condition it is in, and what its needs are-- a tall order for a collection of over 18,000 items! I spend a great deal of time updating and adding to our database of objects. If we do not know what we have and where it is, we cannot possibly care for it, so recordkeeping is high on my priorities. I also rehouse or repackage objects periodically to preserve them. Some of our objects need to be checked on a regular basis because they are in fragile condition and may require the attention of an outside conservator.

One thing that does happen every day I am in the Museum is that I monitor the environment in our collections storage and exhibition spaces. One of the best ways to preserve a collection of historical objects and artwork is to eliminate the factors that can cause damage in the environment where they are stored or on display. This means maintaining a constant temperature and humidity, low light levels, and a space free of pests. To do this, I check dataloggers that track the temperature and humidity and pest traps that capture museum pests routinely. This is our first line of defense in preserving our collection for future generations.

When we are planning a new exhibition or installing, one very unusual task can pop up for me. Before any object can go on display, it requires a very careful inspection and documentation of its current condition to make sure that it is stable enough to go on display and that no harm comes to it while it is on exhibit. I check paintings for tiny cracks in the surface of the paint, paper archives for light damage, and metal items for corrosion. I also consult with our curators about how an item is to be displayed. I may design a mount to hold an object at a certain angle and protect it from earthquakes. I may dress mannequins in historical clothing like I did for our “From Suffrage to #MeToo” exhibition. Sometimes objects need to be cleaned before they go on display, like with the large fishing basket that will appear in our upcoming history exhibition. The most surreal moment on the job in the last year was the four hours that I spent cleaning “Nobody’s Poodle” with tiny cotton balls and distilled water until it shone under the lights in “35: Thirty-Five Artists for Thirty-Five Years”!

As a Collections Manager, not every task is as exciting as examining historic objects or unique works of art. I also handle a great deal of PAPERWORK. This may be arranging for loan agreements with other museums or collectors or donation paperwork for items that people give to the Museum. All of these forms and more cross my desk. Reviewing loan agreements and getting forms signed may not seem like the most thrilling of all tasks, but it is critical to the Museum and one of the ways that we can bring exciting exhibitions to our visitors and share our collection beyond our own doors.

The thing that all of these tasks have in common is that they are behind the scenes of the Museum. I sometimes think that if I have done my job right, you should never even know that I was there. While much of being a Collections Manager is invisible work to the average visitor, it is nonetheless an extremely important part of the work of a Museum and the preservation of the history and art that is entrusted to us. One of my favorite parts of working as a Collections Manager in a museum is getting the chance to bring you, our visitors, supporters, and fans, behind the scenes and to share my work with you! To show you the parts of the collection that are not on display and to share the excitement of being up close and personal with history, art, and culture in action.

What's your favorite thing about working at MSC?

I love how collaborative we all are. As a smaller team, everyone really has to work together to get things done. On any given day I could be helping in collections, painting walls for an upcoming exhibition, stuffing membership letters, planning future programing, or any number of other tasks and it's so exciting. Plus, everyone is so lovely that it's such a pleasure to work with everyone on our team whether they are staff, volunteer, or board member.

Are there any exhibitions, events, or projects that you are particularly proud to have been a part of?

I think that being able to have our sculpture garden open over the summer and into the fall was such a special thing. I loved getting to see some familiar faces as well. Everyone that came was so appreciative to have a safe moment of escape and it was a great reminder of why we do what we do. In particular, I loved that we were able to continue our Día de los Muertos exhibition. It felt even more important and poignant this year to honor our loved ones and to carry on the show for its 24th year in memory of Cynthia Leung. Plus the garden looked stunning, especially during evening hours.

Looking back at the last 11 months, what has been the biggest challenge and why?

The last 11 months have been so full of challenges that it's hard to pick just one. For me though, I think one of the hardest things has been the slowdown of our volunteer program. I only became the Education and Volunteer Coordinator about 3 weeks before we had to shut down, and unfortunately it hasn't been safe to provide nearly the same amount of interesting and engaging volunteer or internship opportunities like I enjoyed in the past. I am so thankful to all our volunteers who have stuck with us though, helping to monitor the galleries during the two weeks we were able to open over the summer, making gorgeous butterflies and candles for Día de los Muertos, proofreading our 1918 Flu Pandemic exhibition text, or simply continuing to engage with us via newsletters and social media.

What does a “normal” day look like for you?

One of the great things about my job is that there are so many different elements to it and not all of my “normal” days are the same. Some days I am deep in research, exploring the Museum’s own collection or delving into other archives, museums, libraries or online sources to pull together the information for an exhibition. Other times, I am talking to artists, scholars, collectors or community members about their stories, histories, or artifacts. A normal day might also mean assisting with the physical installation of an exhibition or preparing for meetings with our History Exhibitions Committee or Collections Committee where we evaluate ideas for exhibitions or objects that might be accepted into the Museum’s permanent collection.

What projects are you currently working on?

Part of the silver lining of the pandemic is the opportunity to look at things from a different angle. One of our adaptations in this time of uncertainty has been to focus our exhibitions on our own collection. We have over 18,000 objects, and many have not been exhibited in decades. I’m currently working on an exhibition where we look at “big things” in our collection. Not only will it look at large objects in a playful way and see what history they have to tell, but it will ask questions about why certain things get preserved and others don’t. What stories get carried forward and remembered? Which tend to be avoided and why? By even looking at history from the simple lens of size- I mean what could be more basic?- some deeper themes emerge.

What project from 2020 are you particularly proud of?

The biggest history exhibition in 2020 was From Suffrage to #MeToo: Groundbreaking Women in Sonoma County. This was our project recognizing the passage of the 19th amendment, giving women the constitutional right to vote. While the Museum’s own collection documents numerous incredible women in history, it is -unfortunately- not that strong in recording the suffrage movement itself. Working with many partners and contributors, we chose to make the exhibition cut across the entire century from 1920 to 2020 and not just focus on suffrage in the early part of the 20th century. Not only were we able to play to the strengths of our own collection, but we created an exhibition that addressed the fight for inclusion and women’s rights across many eras. In a year that provided so many unpleasant surprises, I’m proud that we were able to produce this important exhibition.

What has been the biggest challenge over the last year?

Without doubt, the biggest challenge over the last year was in planning. Exhibitions work on a long timetable, with months or even years of planning. And that’s not even mentioning the public programs and educational material that has to be created to go along with the exhibition. One of the challenges we faced was adapting the programming to go along with our exhibition From Suffrage to #MeToo as it became clear we couldn’t have public gatherings. In a huge team effort, the staff of the Museum managed to create more programming than originally planned and we held virtual programs on everything from the lesbian history of Sonoma County to women in the field of sports journalism.

What projects for 2021 are you particularly excited about?

The project I am most excited about for 2021 is, without doubt, our Sonoma County Stories project, which will create an ongoing exhibition of Sonoma County history. We have not had a broad, long-term history exhibition for well over a decade. At the heart of the project is the video oral history collection created by the Museum in collaboration with journalist and historian Gaye LeBaron. Connecting the first-person accounts in those video interviews with actual, tangible objects in our collection is an exciting process. And, not only will this be a physical exhibition, but the project will also create a vehicle for the Museum to continue collecting stories from a variety of sources- creating a sense of many, diverse voices telling the history of our region in their own words! ...Did I say I was excited?! There will be important updates coming in the near future on this project and I encourage everyone to look for those.

About Eric

Eric Stanley is the Associate Director and Curator of History at the Museum of Sonoma County. He works with the community and behind the scenes to highlight the incredible stories of Sonoma County’s history. He is responsible for creating the historical elements of all exhibitions and helps oversee the Museum’s extensive permanent collection. He has curated exhibitions on everything from the history of the environmental movement to rock and roll in the north bay. When he is not at the museum, Eric enjoys playing hoops, mixing cocktails, and game night with his family.

Behind the Scenes with Collections Manager, Megan Kane

Behind the Scenes with Education and Volunteer Coordinator, Jenny Bath

Behind the Scenes with Associate Director and History Curator, Eric Stanley