 Executive Director Christina Hartlieb explains the ongoing restoration project at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House to a high school architecture class. Join us in congratulating Executive Director Christina Hartlieb on five years at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House!
Below Christina reflects on what has changed (and stayed constant!) in the past five years and looks with excitement toward the future of the site: --- May 30, 2017, was my first day on the job at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House. That week I rearranged office space, gave my first tour, set up new email accounts, and watched Cohee Construction remove the floorboards upstairs to reveal the location of the original staircase. So much has happened in the past 5 years. I am amazed at the wonderful work we have accomplished. Expanding educational programming, hours of operation for public tours, staffing, and community partnerships. Creating new specialty tours, four panel exhibits, and two video exhibits to enhance our stories and share our legacy. Installing an outdoor classroom. Introducing a new logo and an overall interpretive theme – Power of Voice. I am excited to serve as the Executive Director of this dynamic historic and educational resource. This week, I spent time approving a grant report, answering research questions, strategizing about furniture removal for the next phase of restoration, sending out invitations to an event, and watching Cohee Construction install replica 1840s windows. The next 5 years holds the potential for even more momentous change as we continue to serve our community as a “lighthouse symbolizing good will and better understanding.” Thanks for letting me be a part of it. -Christina Hartlieb
1 Comment
Sandra Hartlieb
6/2/2022 05:00:27 pm
Christina Hartlieb has been a historian since junior high when she played the "rambunctious teen" opposite my "stuffy museum curator" in a history skit at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Then, as now, Christina believes that history is exciting, important, relevant, and fun! She stepped into her role at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House with the same enthusiasm and vision as that young girl who grew up in my house. Yes, I'm her Mom, BUT having worked in the field of museum education myself, I know that what you see in exhibits and programs, and in development and marketing, is only the tip of the iceberg compared to the hard work, countless hours, and dedication it takes to conceive and follow-through on such endeavors. Shepherding the Stowe House through the renovations - in both programming and physical structure - has been (and continues to be) a labor of love for Ms. Hartlieb. Love of history - love of people, especially young people - love of positive change in our sometimes messy world - love of the power of each person's voice. These loves have carried the Stowe House through immense change over the past 5 years. We congratulate Christina Hartlieb on her 5 year anniversary, and congratulations to the Board of Directors for choosing such a passionate and visionary historian to guide the Stowe House in the present, and to lead this historic building into the future. Leave a Reply. |
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