ISADORA ITALIA, former Campus Engagement Manager
Hood Quarterly, summer 2023
Serving Dartmouth employees is an important part of campus engagement, and Hood Museum staff work closely with various departments to create experiences specifically tailored to their needs. For example, during a staff retreat, Dartmouth's Counseling Center visited the museum. Our educators led them through interactive activities in the galleries, including collaborative poem writing inspired by Carolina Caycedo's monumental sculpture Curative Mouth.
"The activities were fun, informative, and thought-provoking," said Alexandra Lenzen, Associate Director of the Counseling Center. "They allowed us to deepen not only our understanding of the artwork but also our understanding of each other."
Stepping out of one's usual routine for a session at the museum can lead to employee enrichment, bonding, and learning. After reading Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity's book club toured This Land: American Engagement with the Natural World to further reflect on their own unique relationships to place. On a gorgeous summer day, the Office of Pluralism and Leadership learned about the museum's public art collection by playing the Escape to the Outdoors game.
We love finding unique ways to connect campus colleagues to the Hood Museum's collections. If you are a Dartmouth employee who wants to bring your department to the museum, please reach out! We would love to work with you