Working at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum is, happily, child’s play for Kate Mirand Calleri.
As education director of the world’s first museum dedicated to children (it was established in 1899), Ms. Calleri not only gets to plan programming but also watch and work with the youngsters as they are introduced to the beauty of the arts and sciences in all their forms.
“I love the interdisciplinary nature of the space,” she said. “It’s an art, science and history museum all in one.”
Ms. Calleri, 33, has bachelor’s degrees in photography and in English literature and art history from Ithaca College and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois Chicago.
Although she didn’t set out to work in the museum world — she applied for a mid-managerial position eight years ago, fell in love with the place and took on her executive-level role in 2022 — she sees her work “as part of a larger art education practice I have.”
Calleri, who grew up in Buffalo, lives in a fourth-floor walk-up in West Harlem with her partner, Ian Carlino, who works in licensing at The New York Times.
IT’S GET UP, GRAB AND GO Although I really am tempted to hit the snooze button when the alarm rings at 6:30, I usually don’t because the museum is in Crown Heights, so I have a long commute to get to work. Ian gets up at the same time, and he usually makes the coffee while I take a quick shower. Breakfast is a smoothie — Greek yogurt, frozen blackberries, hempseed powder, cocoa powder and cinnamon — or Greek yogurt with blueberries, raspberries, cinnamon, turmeric and a handful of oats that I throw in. I usually pack my lunch — it’s whatever we have left over from Saturday — but on Sundays I sometimes treat myself and go out.
EASING INTO THE LONG COMMUTE I get on the A train with wet hair. On weekends, it takes over an hour door to door, so by the time I arrive, my hair is dry. Everyone on the train is sleepy, so I try to do things that pump me up to get ready for my day. I cycle through music; Beyoncé’s and St. Vincent’s new albums this year are fire, highly recommended. I also like Bob Dylan, jazz, blues. Or I listen to podcasts; I especially deeply adore NPR’s “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross. I also check digital books out of the New York Public Library. Right now, I’m reading “The Guest,” a novel by Emma Cline.
FLOATING AND FACILITATING By 9:30, I’m at the museum, which opens to the public at 10. After I settle into my desk and check my emails and calendar, I grab a radio and start floating around the museum, checking in on the education teams in the ColorLab art studio and Nature’s Engineers STEM-themed makerspace, and facilitating when and where needed and greeting the regulars. Each space has a different program per month, where the children and their families do themed projects that sometimes are inspired by objects from our 30,000-piece collection.
CREEPY CRAWLIES Recently in Nature’s Engineers, visitors studied our fossils and made their own fossil models. They also studied geological specimens, including bedrock, before building their own skyscrapers out of pipe cleaners and paper straws after they learned about how to make them earthquake-proof. The art studio features artists from the Black diaspora; the kids and their families learn about each artist and create an art project. Our natural history collection has taxidermy and small live animals, including tarantulas, snakes, lizards and insects — like Madagascar hissing cockroaches — that the families can touch and hold. My favorite is our 72-year-old turtle, R2D2. (His original name has been lost to time.)
A LUNCHTIME WALK IN THE PARK At lunch, I walk by Brower Park over to Meme’s Healthy Nibbles, where the names of the dishes on the menu — “I Am Magnificent” (grilled chicken wrap) and “I Am Best” (wild salmon burger) — are as good as the food. The lentil soup is one of my favorites. I’ve been going there for years, so everyone knows me, and I do a quick check-in with the cashiers, who always say, “Nice to see you.”
TAKING A STAND Around 5:30, I’m back on the subway. The return trip is different — people are buzzing, and it’s so crowded that I have to stand the entire way home, which I don’t mind. I have a lot on my plate, so I try to use this time to do some phone emails for work.
(ALMOST) CALLING IT A NIGHT Ian, who is a very good cook and has the day off, usually has dinner ready for me. If he’s still making it, I pitch in washing vegetables, which are my favorite. We make simple things, but if we’re feeling fancy, particularly in the fall, we’ll make risotto or baked chicken.
I hate to admit this, but I actually do work a bit more. When I’m finally finished, we may take a walk if the weather is nice or watch some TV. I like shows that can calm me down after a long day. “Antiques Roadshow” is a favorite — I am sure that like everyone who watches, I like to guess the prices, and when a piece gets a high estimate, I say, “Good for you” to the person who owns it.
By 10 or 10:30 at the latest, I’m in bed, where I read for 30 to 45 minutes before turning out the lights.
The post How a Children’s Museum Director Spends Her Sundays appeared first on New York Times.