We Gave it a Name!
We finally gave our newsletter a name—one that reflects our vision and values. Meaning making is at the heart of our work. It’s what happens in museums, and it's what we do every day at Kera Collective. This is a space where we share what we are curious about and what we’re making sense of, together and as individuals.
This is The Meaning Maker.
What’s Making Us Curious?
AMANDA’S PICK
Reclaiming Curiosity
“In March, I picked up The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan from my local library. I come from a family of bird lovers, from my great-grandmother to my dad to me. I am bird-interested, not a bird expert, which is why I think I loved this book so much. Amy describes turning to nature journaling and sketching birds in her 60s to find calm and resilience, and in the process, reclaiming her curiosity. I learned a ton of new things (chili suet!) and felt inspired and joyful reading this book.”
LINA’S PICK
An Atlas of DC’s Asian American Stories
“I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s (APAC) Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond exhibition, featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, for our evaluation work with APAC. The exhibition maps Asian American stories in Washington, DC, from DC’s Chinatown to martial arts to political activist murals. This associated Atlas shares additional stories of Asian Americans in DC, which I loved perusing through. If you’re not able to visit the exhibition by its closing time in November 2025, definitely check out the Atlas!”
EBONY’S PICK
Addressing Historical Silence
“In a time of historical erasure, I’d like to share a resource that highlights the importance of addressing historical gaps. In this article on the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s website, artist and creative director George McCalman shares how and why he created his book Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen. To address the dearth of visual representation of Black figures, artists, and leaders in history, McCalman uses portraiture to present and preserve our ancestors’ stories; he speaks to a creative process of diving into the silences, rendering and visualizing our histories, despite all else.”
New on the Learning Hub
What’s New At Kera?
Stephanie is having a blast at the AAM Annual Meeting in Los Angeles! If you’re there too, swing by Room 409AB at 1:30pm PDT today to hear her speak on “Evaluative Thinking: Tools for Creating Trust and Organizational Change,” alongside Rebecca Shulman and Johanna Jones.
From May 12–16, Cathy will be tuning into EPIC’s Virtual Learning and Networking Week! She’s especially excited to connect with ethnographers and for sessions on AI, sensemaking, and the power of research in shaping change.
Over the last 2 years, we partnered with the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia to assess the impact of Madayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala, a powerful traveling exhibition. Take a look at the full project summary!
In case you missed it, all of our past newsletters are now available on our Learning Hub! Look for posts with the blue “News from Kera” icons or filter by topic and select “News from Kera.” We’ll post the newsletters regularly on our website from now on, so you can catch up anytime.
Moment of Wonder
“This is the first time I have ever seen the Milky Way up close like this! My family and I took a trip to Tenerife (in the Canary Islands) in November 2024. It is a prime stargazing spot because of the low light pollution, low humidity, and the ability to get up above the first layer of cloud cover in Teide National Park. Our guide was an astrophotographer and had a unique technique for capturing this unfiltered photograph with his camera and the light from his cellphone while we remained very, very still!"
— Emily
