Elgin native Emma Marston was named the new curator of education at the Elmhurst History Museum, where she will oversee educational programming, as well as work with colleagues to evaluate current exhibits and develop new ones.
Emma Marston started out her college career with a keen interest in the culture, history and literature of places like ancient Greece and Rome—so much so that she earned a B.A. degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, with a double major in both English and ancient studies.
Saying she took Latin in high school and enjoyed the literature, and saying that she always loved reading, “I wanted to dive in a bit deeper into the classical elements” during her college studies.
“There’s so much there … [poetry] beautifully constructed,” she added.
She also earned an M.A. degree in Museum Studies from IU Indianapolis, where she participated in work-study projects and partnerships with local museums—focusing on “general preparation for museum work, specifically on the education side.”
Marston said that during graduate school, she was a Clowes Fellow at the Indianapolis Zoo, where she did the research and put together an interpretive exhibit about lion fish and also worked on conducting surveys from visitors.
Marston knew she did not want to be a classroom teacher; in fact she said, “I didn’t want to teach necessarily,” but when she began working on a number of projects it became clear that “Maybe this [museums] is a way to use my interest in history.”
And while some of her work involved research, “I found it more interesting to work with people rather than objects,” Marston said with a chuckle.
The Elgin native also mentioned that she grew up going to the Elgin History Museum, where her mother happens to be the museum director, so there’s that.
“I spent a lot of time there growing up,” she shared, adding that it had an influence on her future career decisions.
Leading up to her new position as Elmhurst History Museum curator, Marston obtained a variety of experiences, first working part-time at Elgin Community College in the communications department, “until I figured out what my next steps were.”
She worked for the Village of Bartlett Museum and the Midway Village Museum in Rockford, where she was involved in interpreting a one-room schoolhouse, and also worked as a historic home guide at the Nashville Zoo, which has a historic home on the zoo property.
Right before coming to the Elmhurst History Museum, Marston worked as an interpretive curator at the Des Plaines History Center for six or seven years, working with school services, designing and delivering programs for all ages, and supervising and managing the museum’s docent program.
She also worked with stakeholders on developing programming for the community, and contributed to exhibit development and gallery activities, according to a release from the Elmhurst History Museum.
Coming into her new job as curator of education at the Elmhurst History Museum at the end of January, Marston said she is learning as much as she can about the history of the Elmhurst community, while focusing on the “education” component of her job description.
“I spent the last month studying, doing research,” she continued. “I’m in study mode!”
Marston will oversee the museum’s education department and public programming. She has realized that she wants to “teach,” but from a different perspective, saying she enjoys working with school, scouting and other groups to “complement what they’re learning in the classroom.”
Marston wants to “really encourage their interest in history,” and by offering hands-on learning—especially providing visual elements of local history—it will “bring them in beyond the traditional classroom experience.”
“It’s such a great conversation,” she said, when engaging with students, and seeing them “making the connection” with their local roots.
For example, Marston is excited about an upcoming exhibit called “Acre to Acre: Our Farming Heritage,” which opened last month and covers farming in this area from 1850-1950.
In addition, Marston said she will be collaborating with colleagues at the museum on exhibit ideas and one of her goals is to evaluate programs for their popularity—finding out what visitors are interested in and “hopefully I can learn something from them.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Emma to the Elmhurst History Museum team,” Dave Oberg, museum executive director, said in a release. “With her unique background, we know she will continue to grow our school and public programming, with a focus on lifelong learning, local history and community.”
“I’m really happy to be here,” she emphasized. “… to help people understand why their local museums are so important.”
The Elmhurst History Museum is located at 120 E. Park Ave., Elmhurst. For more information, call 630-833-1457 or visit elmhursthistory.org.