#42 - Architecture, Museums, and Public Discourse, with Alyssum Skjeie

Alyssum Skjeie is a museum professional focused on presenting
multi-faceted stories related to architecture and history. She is
the new Director of El Pueblo History Museum in Pueblo, CO. In
her new role she is eager to learn more about the Southern
Colorado region in order to create collaborative exhibitions with
the community. Prior to moving to Pueblo last December she lived
and worked in Pittsburgh, PA for 8+ years. In her time there she
was part of the Heinz Architectural Center at Carnegie Museum of
Art, and curated or was a team member for over 20 architecture
exhibitions and countless public programs. Significant
exhibitions Alyssum curated are Sketch to Structure (2015) and
Copy + Paste; The Hall of Architecture (2017-2018). She also
particularly enjoyed being an integral team member on HACLab
Pittsburgh: Imagining the Modern (2015-2016) and Lina Bo Bardi
Draws (2019).


 


In her free time Alyssum runs, hikes, and quilts. She started
hosting architecture runs in Pittsburgh as a way to share her
love of both running and buildings. Colorado architecture runs
are coming soon. She currently enjoys summiting the mountain
peaks near Pueblo. 


 


In this episode, we talk about:


Alyssum’s journey of studying design, to studying
architecture history, to becoming a museum professional

 Alyssum’s love of introducing architecture to the
public

How exhibits have the power to raise questions and engage
people in public discourse about architecture and design

The importance of people being able to express what they like
or don’t like about their cities

Using your voice to talk about what you want to see in
museums

Exploring architecture through movement, and Alyssum’s
architecture running tours in Pittsburgh

Alyssum’s new role as Director of El Pueblo History Museum,
and her goals of creating collaborative exhibits with the
community.