Caption:
Join this reflective conversation as Tempe Stewart and Menkhu-ta Whaley discuss their experiences as Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Post-Baccalaureate Fellows in Museum Professions and share insights from their respective summer research projects.

Song: Only When I’m Dreaming by Minnie Riperton (Used for educational purposes)

Cover Art: for Marie-Louise Coidavid, exiled, keeper of order, Anacaona, 2018 by FIRELEI BÁEZ FIRELEI BÁEZ

Bios:

Menkhu-ta Whaley:

Menkhu-ta Whaley is from Washington, DC. She was class of 2022 at Spelman College earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology-Anthropology and a minor in African Diaspora Studies. During her time at Spelman as a Bonner Scholarship recipient, she spent half of her commitment volunteering at elementary schools and environmental community organizations. After obtaining her degree, Menkhu-ta served as an inaugural Roy Lichtenstein Post-Baccalaureate Fellow in Museum Professions. In this role, she worked in Collections and Exhibitions at the High Museum. During her time at the High Museum, she participated in the Alliance of HBCUs and Galleries and Yale University SMITAH Art Conservation Conference where she learned and worked on her conservation skills with experts. In her final year, she worked in Collections Management at the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum. In those two years, she has grown and developed skills in exhibition project management, archiving, collection management, and many more. She plans on obtaining her graduate degree to enter the field of cultural collection preservation and cultural anthropology. Her interests lie in community archives, cultural preservation, and African diasporic research.

Tempe Stewart:

Tempe Stewart graduated from Spelman College in 2022 with a B.A. in Art History through the Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective. During her four years at Spelman, she was a Bonner Scholar in the Bonner Scholarship Program, which deepened her commitment to serving the communities in which she lives. Upon graduation, she participated in the Six Week Internship Program in Practical Conservation (SIP-C) held by the Alliance of HBCU Museums and Galleries and the Winterthur Garden, Museum, & Library. After completing the program, Tempe served as an inaugural Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Post-Baccalaureate Fellow in Museum Professions. In this role, she worked in Government and Foundations at the High Museum of Art and in Collections Management at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. Outside of her fellowship, Tempe was a community organizer at The Ke’nekt Cooperative in the Historic West End neighborhood of Atlanta, a community in which she was raised. She is passionate about community preservation projects and collective memory-making, and she plans to pursue graduate education in art conservation. Her interests lie at the intersection of conservation, archives, and community engagement, and her journey in this field has been a healing experience for both her and her family.