Introduction to Michelle DelCarlo, Audience Research Intern

My name is Michelle DelCarlo and I am a Museology graduate student and Nonprofit Management Certificate candidate at the University of Washington in Seattle. While I was born and raised in Chicago, I've lived on the West Coast of the US for the last five years, and have really enjoyed being a transplant in an intelligent, laid-back community.

The majority of my professional experience has been in the legal field, but I realized I loved museums after following my real passions in life: nature, culture, and stories. I studied post-colonial literature at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and after a few post-grad years of wondering and wandering, I eventually got a job at a museum and it all clicked.

I'm glad to be in Australia, as my husband and his dad's family are Australian, so I'm stoked to get to know the country better. I'm also happy to be here at the Australian Museum, specifically in the Audience Research Unit, as my professional interests are in community building, public engagement, and using evaluation to influence strategies that make museums more audience focused.

You can find me timing and tracking people in the museum, collecting data at Jurassic Lounge and Science in the City, working with Lynda Kelly to host a pop-up museum, here at my desk blogging, and in general eating chocolate. I love to meet people and hear their stories, so, if you see me around, feel free to stop me and start a conversation. I look forward to the next six weeks!