Working at Krannert Art Museum

I’ve been working at the Krannert Art Museum for one semester, and I love my job. When I tell people I’m a security guard, they don’t believe me at first (even my own parents thought this job was strange)! But it’s true; my job is to greet visitors and make sure the art is safe. If you’ve never been to the Krannert Art Museum before, here’s a few things you should know:

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First of all, Krannert Art Museum is not the same as the Krannert Center of Performing Arts. People have walked into my job thinking it was the performance center before, but it’s an understandable mistake. The two buildings are named after the same people (Herman and Ellnora Krannert) after all. The Krannert Center is for music, dance and theater performances, and the Art Museum is, of course, for art!

Secondly, the museum has changing exhibits throughout the semester, so it’s best to visit regularly if possible. I’d probably say plan to visit the museum once a month at the least if you want to see everything the museum has to offer! They have all kinds of art, from Ancient Egypt to decorative art pieces made in the 21st century. The gallery is quite diverse as well; they have art from many different backgrounds and from many types of artists.

Third, the museum has a ton of free events going on throughout the semester as well. One of my favorites has to be the Speak Cafe that happens once a month on Thursday nights. ‘Speak’ is actually an acronym that stands for “Song, Poetry, Expression, Art, and Knowledge”. It’s an open mic night where people sing, perform spoken word pieces, or perform monologues for an audience. Every night I was working in the museum, I hoped I was near the cafe so I could hear the performances. It’s a lot of fun!

All in all, this is my favorite job I’ve had in my life. Art museums are my happy place; I remember visiting the one on my last campus frequently, and now I get to be in the Krannert Art Museum multiple times a week. My coworkers and the other staff members are really friendly. If you have free time during the semester, the Krannert Art Museum is a great place to be!

Na’ilah Ali