Week 11: From Final Tasks to Fond Goodbyes

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 worked at Bonnet House. Katie had the lovely idea to use a faded version of one of Frederic’s murals as the background for each sign, and I think it brought the designs to life.



Just as I was finishing up, my parents and grandmother arrived for their long-awaited tour of the estate. They wanted to see the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit I had created, and of course, finally meet the Katie I always talk about! I gave them a full tour of the grounds and exhibits. Honestly, I'm surprised by how much I’ve learned. The docents even commented on how strong my tour was (with a few helpful corrections here and there). I also took my family behind the scenes to visit the archives, offices, and meet Katie before heading back to wrap up the final panels with her review.

My family on their visit & some photos they took of me on their private tour

Signage for the Haitian Loggia

Thursday began with more interpretive work; this time related to a sensitive and meaningful project. After completing research on the two Haitian paintings in the Haitian Loggia and the 19th-century monkey figurines in the Drawing Room, Katie and I discussed how to present that information to the public in a way that acknowledged visitor concerns while staying true to the objects’ historical and cultural contexts.

New signage in the Haitian Loggie and the Drawing Room

Together, we decided on two small signs: one inside the Drawing Room explaining the history of singerie (a European decorative art tradition that the monkey figures reflect), and one outside in the Haitian Loggia providing background on the paintings by Sully Obin and Edouard Jean. We carefully chose our language to address racial concerns respectfully, and I’m proud of the final result. It felt like a real culmination of all the research and interpretation work I’ve done during my time here.

Lunch, Goodbyes, and Tequesta Research

By noon, Katie suggested we take a break and enjoy a final lunch together, a little “last supper.” She thanked me for all my work, asked about my future plans, and even mentioned a possible job opening at Bonnet House that she thought I’d be a perfect fit for. Whether or not I take that path, it means so much to hear that my time here made a real difference. It was hard not to get a little emotional.

Doing research on shells found at Bonnet House
during an archaeological survey
When we got back, I completed my final task: researching the Tequesta, the Indigenous people native to this part of Florida. I dove into research papers, articles, and books by Robert Carr, the museum’s go-to archaeologist. I found some promising sources, including the Florida Department of State’s Archaeology Site File, which tracks archaeological reports and dig sites across the state. I passed everything along to Katie for use in future interpretive projects.

Before I left, we reviewed the few remaining tasks I hadn’t had time to complete and said our goodbyes. Then I made one final post on LinkedIn to commemorate this experience and all it’s meant to me. Click here to see the post. 

That’s it for this week and for my time at Bonnet House. I’m incredibly grateful for everything I’ve learned, everyone I’ve worked with, and the projects I got to bring to life. 

More soon,
Maria Formoso

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