MSU Museum Communications Assistant

Major: Marketing
Minor: Studio Photography

Learn More About Matthew (he/him)

Where are you from?
Oxford, Michigan

What is your academic year?
[Super] Senior

What interested you in your position at the MSU Museum?
I have always loved going to museum’s since I was a kid. I always found it interesting to see the greater progression of our society, as well as our progression of expression. The Museum’s role in society is fundamentally good and exists as one of the earliest, most accessible tools you can use to construct a more cosmopolitan and intellectual outlook. Working for a museum is just myself coming full circle with my respect for institutions, and I hope to expand their influence to people who are just as curious and eager to learn as I am.

What is your favorite exhibition at the MSU Museum?
My favorite exhibition currently would be Kindred: Traditional Arts of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. While it is certainly a tough choice with the many fascinating exhibits, I enjoy how Kindred showcases the artforms and artworks of a marginalized population. They are complex works of beauty that retain their own sense of identity and agency despite their commodification and iconoclasm as a cog in greater American culture. The intersection shown in the pieces showcases a tangible and poignant modernity that makes us think beyond iconography, and more into the people and community behind them, rather than the detached image we associate with their [cultural] patterns and figures.

What do you do in your free time?
In my free time I like to listen to vinyl records, shoot film photography, discover new music, and play video games with my friends. I also own and curate a record label that showcases the best and brightest talent from abroad in the shoegazing, emo, and dream pop genres. All of the music is made by my friends, and it is amazing to see them continually reach new heights.

What is your dream job?
My dream job is not a specific position in a specific industry in a specific city. It is one that enables me to be my best self, and surrounds me with people who fuel my ambition and make me feel fulfilled. Maybe it’ll be in marketing, or maybe it’ll be in something else entirely, -- I’m very excited to discover what that could be as I enter the professional world!