31 MUSEUMS CONCENTRATION ALUMNAE PERSPECTIVE: JESSICA MAGYAR ‘10 WHEN I TRANSFERRED TO SMITH AS A SOPHOMORE, I knew that I was interested in helping people connect with art but I had not heard of or considered a career in museum education. At my previous college, I worked at a hospital where I made art with patients and their family members and when I arrived at Smith, I looked for a similar experience. I found the application for the Student Museum Educator (SME) program on the SCMA website and applied, hoping for an opportunity to engage with the community and art. Little did I know the impact this program, and eventually the Museums Concentration program, would have on my Smith experience and my career. I found the most wonderful mentors in the education department at SCMA, including the late Ann Musser, former director of academic and public programs. Through weekly SME trainings and meetings with the museum educators, I soon fell in love with giving tours and the opportunity to hear what young people thought and felt about the artwork in the galleries, creating a space where open dialogue and creative thinking were welcomed and encouraged. SCMA’s museum educators provided support but also the opportunity to take risks and deeply explore my interest in connecting people with art. I will forever be grateful for my three years as a SME, when I not only honed my skills in gallery teaching but also my ability to facilitate deep and meaningful conversations through art. In my senior year, Smith introduced the Concentration in Museums and I graduated among its first class of students. Ann was my adviser and she always encouraged interdisciplinary thinking. By that time, I was planning a career in art therapy and applying to graduate programs, but Ann encouraged me to think more broadly about the skill set I would gain and how I could apply that to working with communities in art museums. I have always felt strongly that Smith is a place where students can truly explore all their interests and create opportunities to engage in collaborative, interdisciplinary projects. For me, SCMA and the Museums Concentration was that place where I could explore, experiment and think big about how to make the museum a more inclusive, open and radical place for connection and growth. I did ultimately earn my master’s in art therapy and went on to work with children and families, but I continued to think about museum education and community engagement. I returned to school and earned my master’s in education in 2017 and soon after began working as the community outreach coordinator at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. If one were to glance at my CV, one might interpret that as a career change; however, in a conversation I had last spring with Jessica Nicoll, she assured me that I was really coming full circle. My training and experiences as an art therapist have shaped my skills and identity as a museum educator, but I don’t think I would have taken that path and returned to museum education without my experiences and mentors at SCMA and in the Museums Concentration program. Jessica Magyar ’10 is community outreach coordinator, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA