Arianna Murphy
Madison,WI
Summary
Multifaceted curator excellent at exhibition design and engaging programming . Well-organized and thorough in maintaining collections catalogs and high standard of safety and care of collections and visitors. Offering extensive experience in the role of social institutions in society, anthropology, biology, education, and collections management.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Academic Program Specialist for the Occupational Therapy Program
University of Wisconsin-Madison
04.2020 - 01.2024
- Spearheaded the development of new and improved policies and processes of the OT program for greater efficiency
- Built the Schedule of Classes for the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms, preparing teaching load letters, coordinating room reservations, and providing enrollment and administrative support to students and faculty
- Independently managed Level I and II Fieldwork for the EL-OTD program, facilitating 40 Level I placements and 66 Level II placements annually at 125+ nationwide partner sites
- Succeed in strategic coordination through maintaining and strengthening positive working relationships with top tier fieldwork sites
- Prepared tenure dossiers for Kinesiology tenure-track faculty candidates. One dossier was chosen by the Biological Sciences Divisional Committee as an outstanding model, recognized for its excellence.
- Optimized student support processes in admissions enrollment and graduation ensuring student satisfaction and 100% graduation for 4 years
Communications Coordinator & Financial Administrator
Grace Episcopal Church
07.2018 - 03.2020
- Produced high quality publications for church communications, including weekly bulletins and bi-weekly parish newsletter using Constant Contact, Adobe InDesign and Photoshop
- Produced public relations materials for individual ministries including rack cards, posters, and flyers; as well as develop and maintain church social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube)
- Managed payroll and financial administration with meticulous attention to accuracy and compliance with financial and tax regulations using Church Windows software
- Special interest projects: Catalog, photograph, research and produced brochure, and write up of historic bells of the church tower; and similar project for lower level display case of historic church artifacts
- Expanded volunteer and ministry services through innovative projects, enhancing church outreach and engagement
Founding Executive Director and Chief Curator
Wisconsin Science Museum
06.2015 - 05.2018
- Directed museum operations, curating permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibits to engage visitors and promote educational initiatives
- Implemented robust collections management protocols, ensuring the proper preservation and documentation of permanent and loaned collections
- Secured funding through successful grant applications and membership drives, driving museum sustainability and growth
- Oversee museum daily operations of opening/closing exhibits, general inquiries, and volunteer management
- Curate and develop all aspects in the production of permanent, temporary, and incoming traveling exhibits
- Oversee collections management, including proper record keeping, and storage of permanent and loaned education collections
- Seek fundraising for museum operations, programs, and exhibits through grants, planned giving, and memberships
- Oversee the development of educational programs, outreach activities, lectures, and special events.
Student Services Coordinator in Anthropology and Geography
University of Wisconsin-Madison
01.2013 - 05.2015
- Provide undergraduate academic and career advising for approximately 300 majors in Anthropology, Geography, and Cartography/Geographic Information Science
- Develop and promote specific internship and career-related activities for students in the departments of Anthropology and Geography, working collaboratively with L&S Career Services
- Direct students to additional educational opportunities, internships, post-graduation options such as graduate school programs, and non-academic career possibilities
- Advise non-majors and certificate students in course content; coordinate with advisors in students' major department; recommend electives based on students' area of interest
- Promote student study abroad opportunities and coordinate with department faculty on evaluation of equivalencies for study abroad and transfer courses from other institutions.
Anthropology Intern
Milwaukee Public Museum
- Developed a seminar for Carroll University Physician’s Assistant program on topics of Human Medical and Evolutionary Biology using permanent exhibits and select artifacts from collection storage
- Presented select ivory items to the public on International Museum Day
- Assisted anthropology department with curatorial tasks– including assisting with department educational/public programs, resolving collection quandaries, conducting object research, assisting outside researchers in storage, and helping with exhibit maintenance
- Researched, edited and published webpage text and images of Ndyuka Collection on the MPM website
- Performed re-inventory of Northwest Coast, Inuit, Plateau, and Southwest material to update NSF inventory sheets in preparation for entering data into KeEmu collections database.
Anthropologist
Expeditions: Research in Applied Anthropology, Malta Field School
- Conducted ethnographic field work on the museums and heritage sites of Malta and Gozo
- Coursework on the Anthropology of Tourism, Ethnographic Methodology, and Scuba Certification
- Culminated in the publication of “Becoming Heritage Malta: An Ethnographic Study of Cultural Identity and Tourism in the Museums and Heritage Sites of Gozo” in Omertaa: Journal for Applied Anthropology.
Museum Intern
Milwaukee County Zoo
- Conducted semester-long internship project to assess visitors’ use of a new exhibit installment– the Northwestern Mutual Munchkin Dairy Co-op in the Family Farm Dairy Barn
- Conducted unobtrusive observations of visitors throughout the Dairy Barn and short interviews with visitors as they left the barn that provided both qualitative and quantitative data of the MDCO usage by visitors following its update in Jan/Feb 2011
- Wrote final paper for funding agency based on visitor study findings entitled: Families at the Zoo: A Visitor Study Survey of The Northwestern Mutual Munchkin Dairy Co-op at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
Curatorial Assistant
Wisconsin State Historical Society
- Worked on a year-and-a-half-long project to re-inventory the museum’s entire collection in preparation for relocation; focused primarily on textiles and costume under supervision of Dr
- Leslie Bellais
- Personally updated descriptions, photographed, tagged, and improved storage for over 15,000 objects in the collections over a 2-year period
- Updated and created electronic records using collection software Argus and Photoshop.
Gallery Attendant
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
- Monitored the gallery and assisted visitors with interpretation and interaction with the exhibits
- Maintained current knowledge of museum facilities, exhibitions, and programs being offered and informing visitors of different events and schedules
- Provided security and guidance during museum events, such as the annual Holiday Art Fair, annual Art Fair on the Square, First Friday events, exhibit openings, film festivals, and weddings
- Supervised exhibits including George Seagal: Street Scenes, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Return to Function, Robert Rauschenberg: Sign of the Times, The Absent City, Barbara Prost, Curator's Choice, and Expressionist and Realist Works from the Permanent Collections
Museum Assistant
Logan Museum of Anthropology
- Updated the collection software and card catalog system of the low humidity room after new storage units were installed and large portions of the collections were relocated
- Worked with metals including weapons, armor, and jewelry, as well as human remains
- Created tags and better storage conditions for objects deemed unstable.
Museum Assistant
Wright Museum of Art
- Created files and updated collections software of the 16th/17th c
- Korean celadon collection using the software Past Perfect
- Wrote condition reports and created storage mounts for pieces deemed unstable
- Created accession files for a collection of 1,500 objects with a team of 5 other museum workers in preparation for a Fall inventory
- Photographed and recorded collection of English lusterware and pewter for deaccession in Past Perfect.
Museum Intern
Rock County Historical Society
- Independently designed and installed an exhibit entitled Victorian Mourning Customs: A Look at the High Etiquette of Bereavement, which examined mid-19th c
- Victorian mourning customs in America
- Wrote extensive exhibit guide for the Victorian Mourning Customs exhibit
- Filed and managed photographs and records in the archives and permanent collections
- Received training as a docent.
Education
Master of Science - Anthropology
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WIBachelor of Arts - East Asian Languages and Cultures
Beloit College
Beloit, WIKansai Gaidai University
Osaka, JapanSkills
- Dependable and Responsible
- Cataloguing and Documentation
- Public Engagement and Education
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- Attention to Detail and Critical Thinking
- Safety and Risk Management
Honors Certifications
- American Heart Association Certified Instructor in Basic Life Support (CPR/AED) & Heartcode
- Honorary Member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars
- Honorary Member of Phi Sigma Iota Foreign Language Honors Society
- PADI Certified Open Water Scuba Diver
Papers Presentations
- Biomedical Anthropology at the Milwaukee Public Museum: An Exhibit Walkthrough
- Becoming Heritage Malta: An Ethnographic Study of Cultural Identity and Tourism in the Museums and Heritage Sites of Gozo
- The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago: A Museum Assessment
- The Burpee Museum of Natural History Ice Age Mammals: A Museum Exhibition Review
- Families at the Zoo: A Visitor Study Survey of The Northwestern Mutual Munchkin Dairy Co-op at the Milwaukee County Zoo
- Anthropology Student Union Annual Graduate Student Colloquium (Spring 2012)
- Becoming Heritage Malta
- International Symposium, Beloit College (Fall2008) Gaijin: Adopting an International Identity in Japan
- Phi Sigma Iota Senior Symposium, Beloit College (Spring 2008) Health Issues in Contemporary Japan
- Education 243: Second & Foreign Language Acquisition
Coursework
Museum Studies, Introduction to Museum Studies, Introduction to Collections Management, Practicum in Museum Education, Post-Colonial Native American Art, Introduction to Astronomy and Geology, Ornithology, Independent Study of Asian Arts Collections in the Wright Museum of Art, Beloit College, East Asian Language and Culture, Four years of Japanese Language, One year of Chinese Language, Introduction to Linguistics, Introduction to Feminism, Chinese Literature I: Pre-Qin to Tang, Japanese History and Culture, Narratives of Japanese Modernity, Japanese Society in Anthropological Perspectives, Japanese Buddhist Art, Japan-China: Problems in History and Culture, Issues in Contemporary Japanese Society and Culture, Kanji Mastery I: Research in Japanese Language and Culture, Education Studies, Second and Foreign Language Acquisition, Introduction to Teaching ESL/Bilingual Education, Grammar Curriculum for ESL, Anthropology, Evolutionary Biology and Human Diseases, Who Owns the Past?, Introduction to Research Methods, Survey of Physical Anthropology, Perspectives on Prehistory, Survey of Cultural Anthropology, Problems in Cultural Anthropology: Human Economy: Sustainability and the Pursuit of Happiness, Museum Studies, History and Theory of Museums, Administration and Organization of Museums, Museum Exhibits, Museum Registration and Curation
Certification
WI State Driver License and clean driving record (M610-0198-5835-06)
Certified Basic Life Support Provider American Heart Association (235412519390 Exp: 1/11/25)
Certified Basic Life Support Instructor American Heart Association (Inst ID: 03231135037 Exp: 2/24/25)
Certificate in Museum Studies University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) Beloit College
Certificate in Advanced Japanese Language & Culture Kansai Gaidai (Osaka, Japan)
Certified PADI Open Water SCUBA Diver
DONA trained Postpartum and Bereavement Doula
Rearing finches and quail, and certain insects
Interested in animal keeping and care. I have kept a wide variety of animals: birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates. My biggest interest has always been birds, specifically zebra, spice, and java rice finches, as well as button quails. I also keep several species of millipedes, blue death-feigning beetles, an Asian Forest scorpion, and a Mexican red-knee tarantula.
I grew up in the country and have experience with managing land the overarching theme of all of this was always safety. Activities included mowing a large property, coordinating and assisting during the spring prairie burn, keeping fruit and vegetable gardens, planting and removing trees, bushes, and flower beds, dredging ponds, composting, pest mitigation, collecting and chopping wood, snow removal, basic handyman repair work and machinery and equipment upkeep. Again, safety was always the most important consideration in caring for animals and working around the property.
Timeline
Academic Program Specialist for the Occupational Therapy Program
University of Wisconsin-Madison
04.2020 - 01.2024
Communications Coordinator & Financial Administrator
Grace Episcopal Church
07.2018 - 03.2020
Founding Executive Director and Chief Curator
Wisconsin Science Museum
06.2015 - 05.2018
Student Services Coordinator in Anthropology and Geography
University of Wisconsin-Madison
01.2013 - 05.2015
Anthropology Intern
Milwaukee Public Museum
Anthropologist
Expeditions: Research in Applied Anthropology, Malta Field School
Museum Intern
Milwaukee County Zoo
Curatorial Assistant
Wisconsin State Historical Society
Gallery Attendant
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum Assistant
Logan Museum of Anthropology
Museum Assistant
Wright Museum of Art
Museum Intern
Rock County Historical Society
Master of Science - Anthropology
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Bachelor of Arts - East Asian Languages and Cultures
Beloit College
Kansai Gaidai University
WI State Driver License and clean driving record (M610-0198-5835-06)
Certified Basic Life Support Provider American Heart Association (235412519390 Exp: 1/11/25)
Certified Basic Life Support Instructor American Heart Association (Inst ID: 03231135037 Exp: 2/24/25)
Certificate in Museum Studies University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) Beloit College
Certificate in Advanced Japanese Language & Culture Kansai Gaidai (Osaka, Japan)
Certified PADI Open Water SCUBA Diver
DONA trained Postpartum and Bereavement Doula
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