Meet the Audience Engagement Team

I am happy to announce that we’ve identified and hired six individuals who are knowledgeable, experienced at connecting people with art, and excited to take on this challenge. In a future post, I’m going to talk about how we’re preparing these six individuals to engage museum visitors of all ages with 5,000 years of art from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific Islands. For now, let me introduce the team who started on March 16.

Our Audience Engagement team from left to right: Stephanie Cunningham, Alisa Besher, Megan Mastrobattista, Sara Garzon, Jessica Murphy, Katie Apsey

Katie Apsey is returning to the Brooklyn Museum after completing coursework for a Ph.D. Katie’s previous positions in the Museum included working as a Curatorial Assistant in the Arts of Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and the Islamic World, and as an Intern Educator in the Education Division.

Alisa Besher is returning to the Brooklyn Museum after years of working as an educator, visual and performing arts programmer, and administrator, at the Museum of the Moving Image, CEC ArtsLink, The Center for the Humanities at the CUNY Graduate Center; and worked 3 Operas by Robert Ashley at the Whitney Biennial as a performer, and Fundraising and Event Coordinator.  Alisa’s prior position at the Brooklyn Museum was an Intern Educator in the Education Division.

Stephanie Cunningham is returning to the Brooklyn Museum after completing her M.A. in Art History and years of experience as an adjunct professor, and working as an educator and intern within education departments at museums including the New-York Historical Society, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Weeksville Heritage Center.  Stephanie’s previous positions here at the Museum included working as intern in the Education Division, and as a curatorial intern in Asian Art.

Sara Garzon comes to us having recently completed a full-time curatorial internship in the Modern and Contemporary Art Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where she worked with curatorial staff, and taught the Museum’s public.  Sara is currently completing her M.A. in Art History, and will be pursuing doctoral studies in the fall.

Megan Mastrobattista comes to us with experience working as an intern and administrator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in their Education and Asian Art Departments, and at the David Zwirner Gallery. Megan comes with experience teaching in Encyclopedic collections.

Jessica Murphy comes to us with a Ph.D. in Art History and years of experience as a Research Associate and contractual Educator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art working in the American Wing and the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, and as a Curatorial Assistant at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

One of the great things about working with a team of people is the collective knowledge, energy, and support that everyone brings together. Obviously we are excited about the individual strengths that everyone is bringing, but we’re also excited by the collaborative nature of the team, and everyone’s true commitment to working together, and taking this project on as a challenge that we will work to collectively address throughout training, and once we launch in June.