Board Member Spotlight: Monica O. Montgomery
Monica O. Montgomery MA, Adjunct Associate Professor & Outreach Ambassador, University of the Arts Graduate Program in Museum Studies. Monica is also an At-Large Board Member of the Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia.
What skills have been most helpful to you in your career?
My background is in Communications and I often see through the lens of narrative change, marketing, and messaging. Public speaking, event production, and storytelling skills have been essential to my success.
Additionally, as a former early childhood classroom teacher, knowing how to work with children and their caregivers is a good tool to have in one’s arsenal. I also find displaying emotional intelligence (i.e: good listener, conversationalist and empathetic person) has been a helpful skill in terms of navigating the sector, especially at conferences, public programs, and when representing my various organizations and clients.
What values are you committed to? How have they changed since you started your career?
I am committed to truth-telling, inclusion, innovation, and community engagement. I have evolved in my thinking over the last decade of my career to have a broader intersectional understanding of forces that influence, upend and impact museums and the ripple effects of structural change. In the early days of my career, I launched many museum movements (Museum Hue, Museum Workers Speak, Museums & Race etc.) I used to be hardcore committed to immediately decolonizing and dismantling systems of inequity museums, and while I still am committed to this philosophically, I see the long view and nuance of change management and the time and effort it takes to operationalize these changes. Change often moves at the speed of trust, which can take decades and involve the dedicated efforts of a plethora of people working cross-disciplinarily.
What have you read lately?
I am always reading several textbooks for museum practitioners alongside my students in my classes as well as personal development books, and articles about Philly.
I am reading this textbook: Flourishing in Museums: Towards A Positive Museology by Brenda Cowan, Kiersten F Latham
I am reading this personal development book: Woman Evolve: Break Up With Your Fears and Revolutionize Your Life
I just read this article in the Inquirer in time for Valentine’s Day: Philly is the Most Single Big City in America - https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/inq2/philadelphia-dating-singles-valentines-day-20240214.html
Why did you join the Museum Council?
I wanted to give back and help out, so I joined the Museum Council and ran for a board seat. I think its important to be active at a hyperlocal level in the field and with the next generation of museum dreamers, doers, and emerging leaders. I have a lot of knowledge to share and access in the field, and being on the board is my way of paying it forward.
Why and in what ways have you continued to be part of the Museum Council community?
Last year I was a featured speaker at a "What is a Museum" lightning talk at National Mechanics in Old City, It was a 10 minute rapid fire pecha kucha talk with follow-up Q&A, in a crowded bar, and the crowd was surprisingly receptive as I shared my philosophy and research around socially responsive museums.
I am involved with the EMP Mentoring program and I am currently mentoring 3 emerging professionals through the current cohort. I am mentoring 7 persons in total right now including the 3 in the program. I was fortunate enough to have one of my past interns be graciously awarded the summer intern stipend, from the museum council which enabled her to relocate from another city to intern with me at historic houses I used to consult with in NW Philly. I refer all my students and other students I meet in my travels to the Museum Council to get involved and make connections in the field. I am in the process of planning a spring Member meetup.
What have you learned that you can share with aspiring/emerging museum professionals?
Everything you do, learn, experience, and witness is a stepping stone on your journey.
There is joy in the journey. You will land many times, in many places, and that's all part of the journey too.
What are you excited about right now?
I am looking forward to keynoting the PA Museums Association conference this April and connecting with other people there around Community Engagement in Museums. I am also excited to be consulting with the Mutter Museum on their post-mortem public engagement process, funded by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, where I will be facilitating months of listening sessions, focus groups, town halls and feedback from community dialogues. I'm also really excited to be alive :D