Bonnet House Internship Summer '25

Presentation Title Slide Hello Reader, This week was a little different because I didn’t go to Bonnet House. Last week marked my final day on site, and this week was all about wrapping things up from a distance. I spent the week preparing for my final internship presentation and ensuring everything was in order with my supervisor, Katie Valli, including submitting my final evaluation. It was a moment to reflect on everything I had learned and accomplished over the summer, from designing interpretive panels and curating a full exhibit to researching Haitian art and giving a private tour to my family. This is a link to the final presentation, should you be interested in having a copy: Though I’m sad to officially close this chapter, I’m incredibly proud of what I created and contributed. Thank you for following along on this journey. This will be my final installment on the blog as I "retire" it with gratitude. Onward, Maria Formoso

The Lovely Courtyard Hello Reader, This week marked the end of my time at Bonnet House, and it was a bittersweet one. Between finishing major design work, giving a private family tour, and having a heartfelt goodbye lunch with Katie, I wrapped up my internship feeling both proud and emotional. Here’s how I closed out this incredible chapter: Designing Interpretive Panels The panel Katie sent me & what I came up with On Tuesday, Katie gave me a final assignment: to design a series of 2' x 6' interpretive panels for some of the most important rooms in the house, the Music Room, Studio, Butler’s Pantry/Kitchen, Dining Room, and Drawing Room. She had already mocked up an example for me to follow, so my job was to adapt her style using Canva and create matching designs for the other rooms. Each panel included the information currently available through the QR codes in those spaces, but I also added a new “Meet ___” section that introduces visitors to someone who lived or wor...

Hello Reader, This week at Bonnet House was one of wrapping things up and diving into something entirely new. I finalized the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit, took on a meaningful research project about two Haitian paintings in the Haitian Loggia, and even wrote a blog post for the official Bonnet House website. Here's how it all unfolded: The Exhibit Is Officially Open Completed Exhibit in the Music Room On Wednesday, I brought all three components of the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit (the panel, the table display, and the travel trunk) down to the Music Room for final installation. There was a small hiccup when we realized that placing the trunk too close to the mirror might cause damage, so we adjusted the layout of the room to accommodate everything safely. Once the layout was finalized, I completed the last pieces of signage and labeling, and the exhibit officially opened to the public. After weeks of research, planning, mounting, editing, and rearranging, it...

Hello Reader, This week marked the final phase of physical work on the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. Although I wasn’t able to come in on Monday as I had planned (due to an injured ankle over the weekend), I was still able to make it in on Wednesday and Thursday to move the exhibit closer to completion. This post is organized into the three key components of the exhibit we finalized this week: the panel, the table display, and the trunk installation. The Panel Completed Panel The vertical display panel holds the mounted photos and interpretive signage that introduce visitors to Helen’s story. Most of the signage had already been mounted, but there were a few pieces that needed to be redone due to cutting issues last week. I re-mounted those, applied Velcro to the backs of each piece, and arranged everything on the panel in its final layout. Once complete, we placed the panel in a closet near the Music Room overnight to make sure everyth...

Planning how to mount the photos Hello Reader, This week at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, I made major progress on the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit; so much so that the finish line is finally in sight. Wednesday: Finalizing the Exhibit Items After last week’s visit from the team at Glen Helen, we had temporarily packed up all of the archival items for the exhibit. On Wednesday, we brought everything back out to finalize exactly which materials would be included in the display. After laying it all out and reviewing the options, we decided on a selection of original and reproduction items that reflect Helen’s personal life, creativity, and legacy. The final group includes a page from one of her photo albums, an original valentine envelope addressed to her father (along with a recreated version of the valentine that was inside), her original handwritten sheet music, a first edition of Capricious Winds , and a copy of the Glen Helen Memorial Collection booklet from the A...