Each summer, the CSPM partners with the History Department at Colorado College to host student fellows. This summer, our collections, curatorial, and education departments worked with Mohan Raghunath and Evan Holmes. We asked each fellow to reflect on their experiences over the course of the summer fellowship:
Mohan Raghunath, Colorado College Fellow
What are some of your key takeaways from this experience?
Before this experience, I had never worked behind the scenes at a history museum before. Doing so gave me an entirely new perspective on the way that historical evidence and knowledge is researched, collected, and presented to the public. I especially gained a greater appreciation of the sheer volume of time and effort and information that goes into the research for a cohesive exhibit – which in my eight weeks of work I only witnessed a small fraction of. I can only imagine the subsequent curatorial challenge of synthesizing all of that information into something that is at once simple and short enough to hold the attention of a broad audience while also being exact and nuanced enough to invite learning. As a history major at an undergraduate institution, I feel like my most important takeaway from my experience at the Pioneers Museum is that it has helped to bring me down from my ivory tower and appreciate the perhaps greater purpose of history: not as knowledge unto itself, nor as a tool for an elite intelligentsia, but as an accessible public resource, and a vehicle for community building.
What were you most surprised by?
In the course of my Fellowship, I was perhaps most surprised by the amazing diversity of history in the city of Colorado Springs, and the dedication of the Pioneers Museum to telling that history in all of its terrible and inspiring complexity. Before I spent the summer in Colorado Springs for this Fellowship, I was merely a college student whose school happened to be in the city – now that I have spent a summer living in the neighborhood, commuting downtown to work, and immersing myself in the local history, I can walk down the street and begin to point out the layers of history that are written on the landscape. Not only this, but I have also begun to foster within myself a sense of place. Learning (and living) the diverse stories of Colorado Springs has, to a surprising degree, brought the city to life for me, and I am excited to continue learning and living yet more stories here.
What experience did you enjoy the most?
Every part of the Fellowship was worthwhile and enjoyable, but I think I enjoyed most the sorting through of the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission Collection in the archives. It combined for me the joy of discovery which comes with doing historical research with the multisensory experience of actually seeing, smelling, and feeling that history– or at least, the documents which bore witness to that history. Piecing together past events from their original documentation is a far more personal experience than simply reading about them from a secondary source, and my extended immersion in the story of one activist organization, the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, made me all the more invested. I loved the feeling of building a rapport with the collection, learning its recurring themes and topics, and seeing its threads and connections in my other research and beyond.
What are your future plans?
Avoiding any excessive euphemisms, I must say that I am not entirely sure where I want my life to take me. Most every experience I have had thus far working at a museum has been wonderful and exciting, and so I do see museum work involving itself somehow in my future. Whether that means I will attend graduate school for a museum studies degree, or that I will eventually become a retiree volunteer docent, or anything in between, I am not sure. Whatever happens, I know that I want to be somewhere where I can dig my hands into the rich soils of history and place.
Evan Holmes, Colorado College Fellow
What are some of your key takeaways from this experience?
I have absolutely adored working in the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. I have been extremely fortunate to research in the archives, while simultaneously working in a public facing capacity. Spending my summer at the museum has allowed me to see the incredible community of Colorado Springs that walks through the doors of CSPM every day. I understand on a far more personal level the invaluable service that public institutions provide. The Pioneers Museum is steadfast and dedicated in their commitment to the preservation and storytelling of the Pikes Peak Region’s history. I felt as though I was a part of that story every single day I walked into work. Following my experience at the museum, I know I want to continue learning as much as I can about this complicated and beautiful place we call home. The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum has shown me that when people can see themselves represented in the halls and exhibits of their museum, they feel at home. Local history exentuates the power of narrating our past for a brighter future and I can’t wait to keep learning about our home. I learned to love archival research and will continue to seek opportunities to do just that far into the future.
What were you most surprised by?
The public facing and the background work at the museum melded into one another seamlessly. I felt as though every part of the museum was part of a larger project to serve the public and despite my previous appreciation for CSPM, I was blown away by how successful the museum is in working for the public good. From my interactions with the public and my time in the exhibits, I felt as though the aspiration for every single community member to see their story represented in the museum, was actively being strived for and every single day, the staff brought this extraordinary goal closer to reality. This profound success brought my day-to-day work to life. I couldn’t believe how engaged I was reading and recording files for hours on end, but the people at CSPM made all history matter and helped me see myself in our shared vision for the preservation of accessible and honest history.
What experience did you enjoy the most?
My two favorite parts of the experience were the people and the reading. Every week, we read a book together to help guide and reinforce the material we were researching in the archives, and every day, I worked with the extremely committed and compassionate people at CSPM. The combination of those aspects occurred every Tuesday at Book Club, where we had the opportunity to discuss both our work at the Pioneers Museum and the assigned book. I looked forward to every Tuesday afternoon, which often stretched beyond the allotted meeting time with wonderful and engaging conversation.
What are your future plans?
I will be spending this Fall working in a legislative office on Capitol Hill and will then return to the Springs and finish my junior year at CC. After graduating in 2027, I’m hoping to continue learning history in community. Museums will remain an intrinsic part of my life and my experience at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum will remain invaluable to me.
