DETROIT, MICH.- The Detroit Institute of Arts has hired Alyssa Machida as an interpretive specialist in the museum’s Interpretation department to work closely with curators and develop innovative and experimental modes of engagement for visitor experiences in the galleries. Machida will be working primarily on the reinstallation of the DIA’s Asian art galleries.

“Working in collaboration with the curatorial team, the museum’s interpretive specialists are critical to connecting our visitors with the art in personal ways and in the context of a shared experience,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “Alyssa’s expertise in engaging diverse audiences will significantly contribute to making our collection relevant to everyone in our community.”

Machida was born and raised in Santa Monica, California, and earned a B.A. in the History of Art at the University of California, Berkeley. She began her career in museum education working as an intern in the School and Teacher Programs at the de Young museum in San Francisco where she developed a passion for learning from artwork in public spaces. She received the prestigious Kress Interpretive Fellowship at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 2014.

Most recently she worked as a graduate student-teacher at the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA, instructing high school students in art history and studio art classes. She also worked as an assistant for the Nature Story Time program at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, helping volunteers develop and deepen their practice as educators for young children and their families.

This past year, Machida earned her Master of Education degree in Arts in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her courses focused on critical teaching methodologies, issues of racial equity, and designing interventions to ignite active learning for diverse audiences. Her research interests are situated at the intersection of arts, education and activism and she is passionate about establishing critical learning practices and practice in art museums. She is committed to issues of inclusion, access and equity to ensure that museums are welcoming and engaging spaces for diverse publics. Machida is currently developing a handbook for culturally relevant, anti-racist practice in art museums and designing tools to support arts educators in their pursuit of social justice.