This post is part of our Internship Spotlight series. For this installment, we spoke with Nancy Wynstra-Cope (’26) about her internship experience at the Burke Museum.
What organization did you intern with and what you did in your internship?
I completed my internship at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, working with one of the collections managers in the Heritage, Arts, and Cultures department. Two of my projects included inventorying and rehousing textiles in the permanent collection and compiling information from the database, making database migration easier in the future. I also assisted the collections managers with object handling, object labeling, cataloging, and more.
What learning goals did you have going into the internship?
One of my primary learning goals was to gain experience in all aspects of collections management and learn how to prioritize projects when time or resources are limited. I also wanted more experience using collections management software, where I learned the challenges associated with upkeeping older databases. My final goal was to develop a working knowledge of best practices regarding handling, housing, and organizing diverse types of collections.
What did you end up learning from your internship? Did you fulfill your original learning goals? Were there any unexpected takeaways or learning moments?
While I had a few specific goals to accomplish, I also wanted to experience the different aspects of collections work, allowing me to meet all of my original learning goals and explore more learning opportunities. I gained practical knowledge in many aspects of collections management, such as meeting with donors, quarantining objects, handling and moving objects, researching, integrated pest management, rolling textiles, updating data, and much more. These opportunities allowed me to fulfill my learning goals of working with collections management software and understanding best practices for handling, housing, and organizing collections. This field is always changing, and while I learned so much during this internship, there is always more to learn.
What did you enjoy most about this internship?
I enjoyed every aspect of this internship because I got to do and see new things every day! My favorite project was inventorying textiles, where I practiced handling and storing different types of textiles. Some textiles were very fragile or damaged, and some had previously been treated with pesticides. This offered interesting challenges on how to prolong the life of the textiles while still maintaining safe handling techniques. I also handled garments with intricate designs or embroidery, and some interesting materials such as Piña fiber, which were really amazing to see.
Do you have any recommendations for students looking into internships now?
Don’t be afraid to ask! People want to help you learn and succeed, but museums may not advertise that they have the capacity for an intern. It doesn’t hurt to ask if there are any opportunities, especially if there is a particular museum or person you want to intern with.
What’s next? How did this internship relate to your career goals, interests, and/or
plans, and how has it impacted those goals, interests, and/or plans?
This internship has confirmed that I want to be a collections manager! I am looking forward to finding another internship where I can hone my new skills and learn new ones. While I am passionate about collections work, I want to learn about other areas of museum work so that I can better understand how departments work together.