Rebekah
Loudenbeck
Museum Education,
Audience Evaluation,
& Community Collaboration
About Me
In 2014, I attained my B.A in Photojournalism from Ball State University along with minors in Spanish and Art History. While attending BSU, I played clarinet in their marching band, served on Hall Council as a Student Action Team Representative, and volunteered as a docent at the David Owsley Museum of Art. I also worked as the photo editor of 72hrs Online and as a staff photographer for BSU at the Games, Ball Bearings Magazine, and the Ball State Daily News.
I decided to go back to school and attain my M.A. in Museum Studies in 2020, attending Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. During the two year program, I had the opportunity to collaborate with several cultural institutions and communities including the Museum of Broken Relationships (Zagreb, Croatia), the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways (Mt. Pleasant, MI), Newfields (Indianapolis, IN), and Circle City Clubhouse (Indianapolis, IN). Check out my resume for more information about my education, work experiences, volunteerism, and skillsets.
I currently reside in Indianapolis with my spouse, Mitch, and our two kitties, Beyla and Meeko. In our free time, we enjoy traveling, playing board games, binge-watching anime and Stargate SG-1, cooking meals together, and dancing in the kitchen.
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Mission:
My mission as a museum professional is to provide engaging and innovative programming to persons of all backgrounds, encouraging dialogue, forming shared connections, and fostering empathy.
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Vision:
By collaborating with and advocating for the community, I will be a leader in creating impactful educational and public programming. I will focus on diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion to ensure all voices are represented within museum programming. In my evaluation work, I will understand where improvements can be made and implement the necessary changes to create more enriching educational experiences for all audiences, encourage repeat visitation, and inspire life-long learning.
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Values:
Empathy
Through empathy, we create bridges of understanding and acceptance. Empathy has the power to create real and lasting change. Museums have a responsibility to cultivate empathy through their collections, exhibits, and programming. By doing so, museums become better places for everyone.
Engagement
Engagement is a two-way street. Museums must engage with their communities to fully understand their audience’s needs and effectively implement engaging learning opportunities that encourage repeat visitation. If we are not engaging our audiences, then we are not serving our mission.
Commitment
I commit myself to fully serving my community, placing their needs above my own and above the museum’s. Commitment to the community is essential if museums are to maintain relevance and retain the public’s trust. Words should carry action.
Life-Long Learning
Life-long learning helps us better ourselves as individuals and has the potential to spark positive change within our communities. I strive to learn something new every day and museums should do the same. As trusted institutions of informal learning, museums should not only encourage life-long learning within their visitors, but within their staff, volunteers, and day-to-day operations.
Collaboration
Collaboration means sharing authority, creating space for other voices, and listening with intent. Through collaboration, we can focus on our audience’s needs and create more meaningful exhibits and programs. Collaboration is key to improving museums and our communities.