Museums Spark Passions: Where Are They Now? | Sarah Bartlett

As an intern and then the Pohlman Fellow at University Museums, Sarah Bartlett was able to experience all aspects of museums: collections management, curation, social media, exhibitions management and more. This experience sparked her passion and set her along her career path. In Sarah’s words:

This was a holistic experience that taught me the value of taking the time to pay attention to all aspects of museum work. Working with University Museums sparked a passion for telling people's stories through objects. I love the way that museums can use material culture to tell unique stories. I specifically love the way that objects can help us tell more diverse stories because written records often focus on white male stories and leave the contribution of women and people of color out.

Sarah graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Anthropology and Classical Studies and a B.A. in Political Science (‘20). She then continued at ISU to receive her M.A. in Anthropology and a Graduate Certificate in preservation and Cultural Heritage (’23).

Today, Sarah is the curator for Yolo County California, a role she has had for about a year. Sarah manages the county’s collection and curates exhibitions for all Yolo County Library branches to ensure equitable access of the collection throughout the entire rural county. She also organizes events and presentations relating to the collection while having the responsibility of curating the Gibson House, a Victorian era farm house in Woodland, California. Sarah assists with historic preservation projects throughout the county as well.

Sarah says, “Had University Museums not taught me the importance of getting a holistic museum education, I would not be qualified for the job I have now.” University Museums is honored to spark Sarah’s passion and is pleased to share her career update.

All photos provided by Sarah Bartlett.