by Haywood McNeill
Pranto Anandmaya, a UT Dallas junior majoring in geosciences and president of the GeoClub, recently completed an internship at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, where he got a behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s operations and a feel for the work involved in presenting exhibitions.
The Perot Museum is a natural history and science museum in the heart of downtown Dallas in the Victory Park area. The complex has six floors with the first five floors displaying exhibits and the top floor housing administrative offices. Anandmaya worked with Kimberly Vagner, director of the Gems and Minerals Center of Excellence at the Perot Museum.
“I am generally looking for interns who are inquisitive, self-motivated and flexible,” Vagner said. “After reviewing Pranto’s application and interviewing him, I felt confident that he would be a great fit for the internship.”
Most of the gemstones displayed at the Perot Museum come from different locations and collectors. They are chosen based on their rarity and public appeal, Vagner said.
Anandmaya took part in activities focused on preparing the gem and mineral center’s Paula Crevoshay exhibit. The acclaimed jewelry designer is known for her innovative, colorful and extraordinary jewelry designs, which have earned her the title, “Queen of Color.”
The exhibit, “Paula Crevoshay: The Shape of Matter – Through an Artist’s Eye,” featured approximately 70 of her designs along with loose gems and minerals in her collection. The exhibit, which runs through April at the museum, aims to create a connection between art and nature by displaying jewelry pieces made with gems and minerals from crystal systems.
“Some of the gems I worked with had rare inclusions of other minerals. For example, there was a quartz with rutile inclusions that looked like a biblical cross, which was very impressive,” Anandmaya said.
While interns are not allowed to handle gems and minerals loaned to the museum, they may handle items from the Perot Museum’s permanent collection.
“Museums are a personal favorite of mine, and I always visit museums whenever I’m in a new city. I’ve always wanted to know how museums function and how the displays are maintained, and I finally learned what goes on behind the scenes, thanks to this internship experience,” Anandmaya said.
Anandmaya sorted gems according to their types and crystal structure and cataloged the information on spreadsheets, including their trade name, carat weight, mineral name and brief description.
“Seeing my writeups on an exhibition’s display tablets and posting to the museum’s Instagram account really made me feel valued and appreciated. It was amazing seeing all the work come together at the end,” Anandmaya said.
Vagner said Pranto brought a good attitude to every shift and showed a willingness to tackle a variety of projects – from helping with the installation of a new exhibit, to writing content for the Gems and Minerals Instagram account, to organizing the permanent collection.
“Not every task is exciting, but they all are important,” Vagner said. “Pranto’s understanding and ability to approach everything I gave him with the same professionalism and determination was appreciated.”
His responsibilities, which are captured in a weekly diary he kept during his internship, included:
“It was a fantastic feeling being part of a museum that holds so much of Earth’s history,” Anandmaya said. “I never knew museums required so much thought and organization. They have to think about the tiniest factors that might come into play in the spectators’ minds. For example, how much the displayed items should be rotated or even how the lighting and height of the specimens should be presented within the display cases. And the work does not end at putting up the displays, either; it constantly requires a focus on the future, and planning what the next event will be,” Anandmaya said.
When asked if he’d do the Perot internship all over again, Anandmaya said yes.
“The Perot Museum is always working on bringing new and exciting gems and minerals to display, so I think it’s an excellent opportunity to learn hands-on about something fascinating. I have already recommended the experience to my friends and will definitely recommend it to others in the future,” he said.
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