It is amazingly difficult to distill yourself down to a welcoming note. I'm Sarah: passionate, driven, and creative. I've worked in museums for nine years, and in that time I've learned as much about myself as I have about museums.
My mission: To celebrate people, be they visitors, donors, cultures, peers or staff. To advance the idea that our work is only important when seen through the eyes of the people who experience it. To push the museum field to focus on people in the way we have historically focused on objects. And to see people not as minds to be molded, but as peers with whom to converse, to share discourse and ideas.
· I value the power of the experience – as a professional I will let the visitor experience guide my decisions, rather than outside politics and pressures. I will seek the experiences of others and seek to share my own experiences.
· I value innovation – as a professional I will seek to surround myself with those who challenge convention, and will work to inspire the public to do the same.
· I value the freedom to make mistakes – as a professional, I will strive to see mistakes as an opportunity to try again.
· I value the unexpected – as a professional, I will try not to let my biases sway me, and will see unexpected results as a sign of questions not yet asked.
· I value the people who walk through our doors – I will never forget that they are the reason I do what I do.
· I value the people who never walk through our doors – there are no strangers, only friends we have not met. I will strive to find ways to meet them.
· I value my own learning – I will strive to be always learning, from every possible source
· I value the experiences of those who came before me and the passion of those who will come after me – I vow to respect past leaders, but keep an eye to the future
· I value people – I will always treat our human resources as the most vital part of the institution
· I value and celebrate differences – personally and professionally, I will always seek out a variety of views on a subject before choosing a path. I will let people speak with their own voice, and will try to tell as many stories as possible.