376 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike, P.O. Box 316, Bridgehampton, NY 11932

631-537-8250

Farewell Q&A With Karin Keane, the Museum’s Director of Operations

karin

After spending the last fifteen years working at the Children’s Museum, Karin Keane is retiring at the end of the summer. She’ll be splitting her time between Sag Harbor and Cambridge, Massachusetts (where she’ll enjoy some much deserved time with family). During her tenure, Karin has seen the institution grow from a “museum without walls” to a thriving organization that not only welcomes over 65,000 visitors each year, but has become a vital part of the East End community. She was kind enough to sit down and recount some of her experiences from the Museum’s early days, her role in helping to update the exhibits, and the impact her time here has had on her life.

You’ve been with the Museum longer than anyone. Could you describe what it was like when you started and how your role changed?

We were originally a museum without walls. We took our programming and activities into the community, into artists’ studios and different locations throughout the East End. My earliest recollection of the building was when it was just steel beams in the middle of the snow. The original team was focused on getting the building built, installing the exhibits, just getting us up and running. As we began to have patrons come through, we realized what worked and what didn’t work in the exhibit space. After initially being responsible for the Museum’s financial operations, I subsequently took over the “care and feeding” of the building and started refreshing, refurbishing, and renovating different exhibit areas. At this point, I think that I’ve earned a PhD in HVAC, plumbing, and building maintenance.

Did you have previous experience in this area?

I manage a property that’s been in the family since the 1930s and had a lot of experience with things that break in ways you don’t expect. You learn quickly that kids are really good destroyers. It’s their job…to learn how to push things past their obvious use.

I come from and married into a family of tinkerers and makers. My mother-in-law was Ann Sayre Wiseman who published “Making Things” in the 1970s, so “hands on” creation has always been a huge part of my life. When thinking about how to update our exhibits, it’s not like designs spring from my head. It takes a lot of research, a lot of discussion with other children’s museums and tailoring and redesigning things for our audience. I learned quickly how to do things with the least money for the most value. The DIY ethos – measure twice, cut once.

How have you seen the Museum change during your time here?

Before we had a space, so much of what we did was to take our programming and activities into the community. Then, once we opened the building in Bridgehampton, we became a destination that attracted people from all over Suffolk county, almost every state in the US, and dozens of countries.  We evolved into an a organization that’s more than just a building. We’ve expanded our role as an anchor in the community. I think the federal, state, and local grants we’ve received acknowledge this shift.

What do you feel is your biggest contribution to the Museum?

The butterfly garden is the thing that immediately jumps out at me. The number of people who stop and take pictures in front of it is incredible. It’s like a mirror image of the Museum’s role in the community…we’re here to nurture and help everyone grow.

Besides that, I would say that my greatest DIY achievement is re-purposing a 5 gallon industrial salad spinner for cleaning our massive collection of Lego and using a stainless steel bakery cooking rack to dry them.

What impact has working at Museum had in your life?

I feel the Museum has allowed me to be the most “me” I have ever been. I discovered in myself the ability for synthesis, problem solving and mentoring. What might have been termed as being nosy or questioning, has turned out to be my greatest asset.  We’re all petals on this amazing flower that I feel honored to have been a part of.

I’m leaving my replacement with an incredible team of co-workers. We know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. The Museum is so strong and it’s wonderful to be able to bask in the joy of everyone’s efforts.

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