Samantha Sauer is the Curator of the Paul Findley Congressional Office Museum, the Archivist for the Khalaf Al Habtoor Archives at Illinois College, and an Assistant Professor of History. Samantha presented at the 2021 AAMG Annual Conference as well! Thank you Samantha for your membership and sharing your time with us!
What’s one thing — either industry/work-related or not — you learned in the past month?
Beatrix Potter, author and illustrator, was also a conservationist
If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be?
A scientist on the International Space Station
Coffee or Tea?
Both!
Book/Author suggestion?
I’m currently enjoying Stanley Tucci’s Taste: My Life Through Food. I like food and/or travel memoirs and cookbooks in general – It’s fun to test recipes while also making connections with a place or person.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I was always very interested in storytelling, teaching, and traveling, and I liked the process of learning as much as I could about a given field or topic.
What do you enjoy most about being a part of an academic museum?
Academic museums are learning laboratories, and we are at such an incredible intersection of campus and community. I find the multidisciplinary collaborations in academic museums personally and professionally rewarding and energizing, and I am continuously inspired by my team, our students, and our campus community.
What are your hopes for our industry?
I hope our field continues to evolve to meet the needs of our communities by increasing access to inclusive collections and lifting up underrepresented voices.