Each opportunity life throws at us gives us the ability to adapt and overcome. Discomfort is necessary for change, as we never know what our limits are until we reach them. This summer I had the pleasure of attending Jamestown’s Archaeological Field School. This is a hands-on study of field and lab techniques, while also engaging in public archaeology and sharing our findings and theories in real time. Archaeology is a way to apply my love for history by helping the world understand the present through the lens of the past.
This experience lasted 5 weeks, and each day I kept a journal detailing what I learned, including my own research and conclusions about certain discoveries. I was on-site from 8am-4pm each day working intimately with the Jamestown Rediscovery staff. Through this experience I understand more about myself as a professional and an individual. I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed working out in the field. Having been raised as a ballerina since the age of three, the ballet studio became my habitat day and night. Still training as a ballet major at CCM, there is no part of me that regrets my lifelong focus on ballet. However, this experience confirmed my passion for archaeology and the place it can hold in my future.
This experience also reinforced my love for educating the public. I continue to do this type of work as a docent at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati. However, uncovering history and teaching others about it in real time is incredible. It feels similar to learning choreography in rehearsal; learning each step on the spot and then executing it over and over until it is muscle memory.
This experience also taught me the difference between a curator and a conservator in the museum world. While the world of curation is vast and interesting, I gravitated towards conservation. Growing up I always had a profound gravitation towards chemistry. However, as I furthered my studies into higher levels, I lost sight of this love and did not know how any of it seemed to apply. My experience in the lab at Jamestown opened my eyes to applied chemistry, just as archaeology did in the past for the application of history. Archaeological conservation seems to be the perfect conjuncture between all of these interests. We were taught that every artifact conserved in the lab is being done so with the mindset of lasting another one-hundred years. The decay of artifacts is inevitable, but conservators are able to stop time and project the past into the future.
This experience allowed me to work closely with some archaeologists that I have admired for some time. It taught me the kind of professional that I want to be; someone who is unafraid to impart their knowledge on others, while simultaneously embracing a lifelong relationship with learning from my peers. I am confident in my decision to add a second major in archaeology, and this experience was only more fuel for the fire to strive for a future career in archaeological conservation. All of my expectations were exceeded after experiencing working on the site first-hand. This summer is one I will hold close to my heart and at the forefront of my mind as I move into life after college.
*Each day we were asked to keep a daily journal, which I have attached the PDF of above. We were also required to give a 10 minute presentation on a topic of our choosing. I included my presentation on Midlands Purple earthenware. For this presentation I was able to do my own artifact photography; photos on slides 2 and 5 are my own. This is the presentation I have shared with my peers in addition to speaking about my experience at Jamestown as part of my ongoing reflection.
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