Recent graduate seeking an exciting career in Exhibits.

[Kristin.Foster]

Headline: Recent graduate seeking an exciting career in Exhibits.
Name: Kristin Foster
Email Address: kristin.foster@live.com
Current Location: Philadelphia, PA

Preferred Job Category: Exhibits

Personal Statement:
I am a recent graduate with a M.A. in History (specialization in Public History) seeking to find an exciting career at a museum or historic site. I take pleasure in creating and maintaining exhibits and enjoy working with others and learning new skills.

Education:
Master of Arts, United States History with Public History concentration,
University of North Carolina at Charlotte December 2009
Master’s thesis topic: How women contributed to the health and hygiene of North Carolina
Bachelor of Science, History, Cum Laude, University of Central Arkansas (UCA), 2007
“The Importance of the Book”- Undergraduate Thesis


GRADUATE PROJECT

“History at Light Speed,” Museum Studies project in conjunction with Charlotte Area Transit
System(CATS) to create historically centered neighborhood Light Rail stations for the
planned North rail. The class was a class composed of History as well as Architecture
students. We researched the local history around proposed Light Rail stops and then
created station designs using that information.

GRADUATE PROJECT

“As Good a Boy as I Own: Slavery in Mecklenburg County,” Digital History class Project based on
digitizing primary sources dealing with slavery in Mecklenburg County and creating a website to display them. We also created podcasts dealing with specific people or events in Charlotte history.

Website:
Slavery in Mecklenburg County Home

My group’s podcast:
YouTube - 19th century Mecklenburg Women

GRADUATE PROJECT

Survey and Research Report on the Charlotte Fire Department’s Old Station #2 (1948-1982)- Historic
Preservation report. I researched and wrote a detailed report on the architecture and importance
of this Fire Station to Charlotte’s history. This was a report that could be submitted to a local
landmark’s commission for consideration as a historic site.

RELEVANT COURSEWORK

• Historic Preservation Fall 2007
• Colloquia in US History to 1865 Fall 2007
• History of Museums Spring 2008
• History in the Digital Age Fall 2008
• Colloquia in US History Since 1865 Fall 2008
• Print: A History Spring 2009

Professional Experience:
Intern, J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections- Sept. 2009-December 2009.
• Created an exhibit which focused on four influential local women who made significant contributions to health and hygiene in the 19th century.
• Researched and collected information from numerous 19th century manuscript collections.
• Organized and displayed information in a concise, yet visually appealing manner
• Created an online blog to chronicle the project
o 19th Century Mecklenburg Women, Contributions to Health and Hygiene

Assistant Editor Nationalities Papers and First World War Studies, University North Carolina at Charlotte 2008-2009
• Coordinated communication between the journal’s Editor, Book Review Editor, Publishing
Company, and article authors.
• Maintained records of submitted manuscripts and book reviews.
• Examined documents for compliance with editorial guidelines and proper formatting.
• Ensured anonymity was maintained in a double-blind review process

Intern, Levine Museum of the New South May 2008-October 2008 I
• Worked in both the archives and exhibits departments.
• Assisted with the handling of artifacts during the de-installation and installation of
exhibits, as well as with the packing, inventorying, and cleaning of artifacts.
• Aided with the research, installation, and upkeep of two exhibits. The exhibits I worked with while at the Levine include:
o Changing Places: From Black and White to Technicolor®
o Corapeake
o Comic Stripped: A Revealing Look at Southern Stereotypes in Cartoons

Sales Associate, Bass Pro Shop Summer 2008
• I worked selling sunglasses to various customers. I learned how to interact with a variety of
people as well as how to tailor my marketing techniques to individual people.

Teaching Assistant, University of North Carolina at Charlotte 2007-2008
• This position required me to interact with a professional level with a range of people
beginning with freshman students all the way to tenured professors.
• Lectured on occasion, but also led study groups and held office hours for student
improvement.
• Graded history papers and gave suggestions for improvement.

Student Aide to secretary, UCA Student Center 2005-2007
• Assistedwith the smooth running of a professional office.
• Answered telephone calls, sent out mass mailings, answered walk-in questions, and ran errands.
• Performed occasional copyediting.
• Occasional heavy lifting

Applicable Skills:
• Colonial Dancer
• Adobe Photoshop
• FrontPage
• Word
• Powerpoint
• Excel
• Past Perfect
• FTP servers on Mac and PC
• Using high-resolution scanners to digitize historical documents
• VISTA

Other:
I am currently volunteering at Pennsbury Manor Historic site, the summer home of William Penn.