Internship: #MuseumDanceOff

There's been a bit of a gap in updates - but not for lack of things to do! Rather, I've been so busy the last few weeks I haven't had a chance to sit down and reflect on what we've been working on in Internship!

And boy is it a good one - but first let me bring you up to speed a little.

Last year, there was a bit of a viral video challenge going around in the museum and art world which called itself #MuseumDanceOff. It spiraled from a few spoof videos of Pharrell William's Happy some museums had produced as means of exposure. A satirical blog entitled When You Work At A Museum got wind of the idea and pitched a bit of friendly competition for museums to create their best #MuseumDanceOff video.

And so the challenge was born.

Things got a little crazy. Hamilton's own Steam Pump Museum made it down to the final two (believe me you will have "What Does the Pump Say" stuck in your head for a week). OMAH had sketched out an idea to participate, but without time and resources, hadn't made it to production.

This year though... this year we were prepared. The museum offered the task as part of the video production work Stephanie and I could work on for internship. Beyond giving us the outline and deadline for the challenge, the idea was basically entirely in our hands. Well, our hands and a few other eager members of the OMAH team.

A few weeks, and some really *creative* ideas later, we had our video planned. Now onto production.

With a little help from classmates, volunteers, and some REALLY eager kids, we've been able to pull off something that will hopefully knock the socks off of museums everywhere: Sir Sam Funk.

We wanted to play with the quirkiness that the OMAH team enjoys and incorporate some museum humour - including OMAH's favourite 'man of steel(e)', Sir Sam Steele. The building is named after this historic figure, and a stoic-faced cardboard cut-out of him greets you every day upon arrival. Add in a little Uptown Funk, and you have yourself a pretty hopping place.

Fun and games aside, we really wanted this to be about OMAH's YOUTH - be it employees, volunteers, Youth Arts Council, or young kids camps. We wanted to accentuate the youthful energy that these groups bring to OMAH as the next generation of cultural leaders - who aren't afraid to look a little goofy on camera.

It was a fantastic experience, and an excellent way to make our internship go out with a bang. I'll be updating again soon as soon as the video is live online - and then it's voting time!