It’s the Little Things
Blog post by Education Intern Erin Penn. To read more posts from JMM interns, past and present,click here.
“Its all in the details.” This basic idiom used to help people embrace the little things beautifully demonstrates the challenges and tasks of an education and programs intern. It’s the little things that create a successful program or a thoughtful tour.
Preparing for the opening of Just Married! Wedding Stories from Jewish Maryland, I loved embracing the details and little touches from trimming the poms-poms into flowers to counting five candied almonds for each gift bag. One task required me to punch two hundred tags for the party favors. As I punched the tags, I gained expert paper cutting skills and achieved super hero status. After my week as Martha Stewart craft master, the day had arrived to decorate the JMM lobby. It was exciting designing the space because we quickly discovered the correct ways to hang the paper and to hide the safety pins. Each decoration was added to the lobby and the room felt transformed. It was surreal to see the copious tissue paper fans beautifully complement the new Just Married! Exhibit.
On the education side, the details are also hugely important. Every tour of Lloyd Street Synagogue that is given has its own unique flavor based off the docent and visitor group. Here, the little known facts and architectural elements of the building create a rich and educational experience. For example, a tour for Jewish students looks very different than a tour for people who have never been to a synagogue. In order for all students and visitors to get the most out of the Jewish Museum, the little things must be intentionally directed to the visitor. Even in the supplemental question guide for Just Married! every little thing matters, from the wording and formatting. We made sure questions had visual hints and each question was clear. At the end, we figuratively and literally dotted all the i’s and t’s.
All the little things whether it being the color of the confetti or the font of the survey boosts and betters the program. These projects and tasks have allowed me to be creative and think outside the box. The devil isn’t in the details but the fun is!