Making complex ideas accessible

When societies interact, things move, people move, and ideas move — and cultures change. This has always been true, and remains so today. Ancient Mediterranean Cultures in Contact explored how this story unfolded in the Roman Empire, comparing globalization in the ancient world to globalization today. This approach was not only in direct response to the surge of far-right populism leading up to the Trump presidency, but also sought to present archaeology in a different, accessible way that allowed visitors to connect ancient stories to their own lives.

As a supporting exhibition developer on this project, it was my responsibility to assist the lead exhibition developer in the administrative organization of the project. I was also responsible for the development of individual project components, and, as a journalist, contributed significantly to how we connected ancient stories to the modern world.

This project was curated by Dr. William Parkinson, an archaeologist at the Field Museum, and included collaboration with archaeologists who specialize in the study of Roman, Etruscan, Egyptian, and Coptic cultures.

PROJECT RESPONSIBILITIES
-Administrative support, organizational documents, database maintenance
-Interdisciplinary research
-Writing exhibit text, media scripts, and developing other content
-Proofreading
-Development of a physical interactive experience for visitors