Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

A small group of high school students got a behind-the-scenes look at how the Indiana State Museum develops new museum experiences. They were also given the chance to present their vision for changes to the Cultural History galleries through the OneAmerica Financial℠ Pathways Junior Fellows Program.

The OneAmerica Financial Pathways Program engages and develops local talent among young people in the Indianapolis area who may not have otherwise considered a career in various industries. Through community partner-led projects, participants get to experience these industries from the inside.

The participants were given a challenge: Create a 3D model of their redesign of the museum’s Cultural History galleries.

They executed the whole project in three days.

“I was immensely impressed by not only the professionalism and commitment that the Pathways participants showed, but also by the extremely creative and unique approaches they took,” said Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites Exhibit Developer Julia Lewis, who worked closely with the group.

First, the participants toured the behind-the-scenes collection area and spoke with Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites President and CEO Cathy Ferree on the impact museums can have on their visitors. They also met with the museum’s Chief Development Officer Tanya Hand on ways a museum can grow as a public institution.

Next, they took a tour of the Cultural History galleries on the museum’s second floor, led by the museum’s Chief Engagement Officer Brian Mancuso. During this tour, they focused on how they envisioned telling the story of Indiana’s people, places and things through interactive elements, collection items and other features.

After planning designs, they split into groups, each designing a different area of the exhibit.

“It was so interesting to me,” said Victor Avalon-Hernandez, one of the OneAmerica Financial Pathways participants. “I would have never seen that, for an exhibit to be made, it takes often years of work, from starting the original months of ideating and designing to creating a small 3D model so you can get an idea of what the place will look like.”

The participants created a final exhibit model that included four areas of focus: changing media, evolving technology, historical Indiana and open storage. The open storage area features a train that takes visitors to see pieces from the museum’s collection. 

They concluded with a presentation of their final product to OneAmerica Financial associates and other OneAmerica Financial Pathways participants.

Thank you to OneAmerica Financial℠ for collaborating with the museum on this incredible opportunity. Learn more about the OneAmerica Financial Pathways Program here.

Thank you to our sponsor, OneAmerica Financial℠.