Museums are a fundamental part of the creative landscape and society as a whole. Not only do they display great examples of creativity, but they also act as portals for us to enter worlds we may never see otherwise. Our guest today, Lacey Flint, is the archivist and curator of research collections at The Explorers Club, and she is passionate about making the artifacts at the space as accessible as possible. In this episode, we learn about the interesting path Lacey took to work in curation. Being naturally drawn to history and education, she worked as a teacher. Through that, she realized that it was important to make history more tangible for it to be a meaningful learning experience.

She threw herself into the deep end and pursued a Masters degree in England and worked in various roles before the Explorers Club. We also learn more about the fascinating history of the club and the mission it was founded on. It is easy to think that with technology now, we have seen all there is to see. This could not be further from the truth. There are so many corners of the Earth we have not yet been, and part of Lacey’s role is to create a dialogue with the community about exploration. Museums are not static places. Instead, they have to evolve and adapt to their audiences and be places of engagement. While this is a challenge, especially when balancing member’s interests, it is something that excites Lacey most about her job. We also discuss the role of art and photography in expeditions and the incredible obstacles artists had to overcome to capture what they saw, how Lacey navigates displaying all the artifacts, and the importance of telling the other side of historical narratives. Lacey’s passion is contagious, and we took so much away from our conversation. Be sure to tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Learn about Lacey’s background and how she ended up becoming an archivist and curator
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• Find out the educational requirements necessary to work as a curator and Lacey’s studies.
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• Lacey’s favorite area of study during her Master’s degree.
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• Why it is important to rethink the role that museums play in society.
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• The history of the Explorers Club and the people Lacey interacts with and works with.
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• Some of the Old Guard, New Guard tensions Lacey faces at her job, such as taxidermy.
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• What the Map Room in the Explorers Club is and the story behind it.
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• There is so much of the world that’s still left to explore, so cartography is not dead!
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• The art that’s exhibited at the Explorers Club and being an artist on an expedition.
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• The evolution of photography and the role it has played in exploration throughout history.
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• Find out more about storage at the Explorers Club and creative ways to display artifacts.
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• Why Lacey is passionate about accessibility and what she’s doing to advance it in her work.
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• How often Lacey finds bugs in the archived books.

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/explorers-club-lacey-flint