Moon named education curator at state museum

Mahal Moon, Churchill County High School and University of Nevada, Reno graduate, has been appointed as the new curator of education at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City.

In her new role, Moon will be involved with the museum’s community outreach through its educational and volunteer programming.

“When I graduated from UNR in 2021, a lifelong goal was to work in some kind of education,” Moon told the LVN.

For the past three years, Moon lived on the East Coast working at the Children’s Museum of Philadelphia, and Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey.

Moon said her parents told her to take advantage of opportunities and serve. While growing up in Fallon, the 2017 CCHS graduate said her parents would visit the museums in the San Francisco Bay Area, and locally, she spent many hours at the Churchill County Museum and other historic areas throughout Nevada.

“I spent a lot time of enjoyable afternoons going on tours and to Grimes Point and Hidden Cave and developing a real appreciation of types very rich, engagement around us in northern Nevada,” Moon said.

Moon said a lifetime goal has always been to work in some kind informal education program with an institution such as a museum. She said having the time and resources for education and recreation out of school is an immense privilege. Providing access to various resources and having as many learners see themselves represented in the story of Nevada are important to her.

In her new role, Moon said she wants to establish an outreach of education programs through the schools by hosting field trips and school workshops at the museum and also recruiting new volunteers to represent the older demographics.

Moon said she would like to see students from UNR, Truckee Meadows Community College or Western Nevada College take an interest in public education or heritage preservation. Furthermore, she would like to close the gap among the age groups so they can work and understand each other.

By gaining that experience at the two museums on the East Coast, Moon worked as an early childhood educator and said children loved the museums in Philadelphia. In New Jersey, she was helping to promote the public education programs which could be sustainable revenue drivers for different types of museums.

“Take advantage of service no matter where you are,” she said. “This is also developing new entry points and new opportunities for engagement for a wide range of visitors who can help maintain the museum in sustainable way in the foreseeable future.”

Bonde said the timing was right in hiring Moon. He re-emphasized Moon’s role in overseeing the education and cultural programs and working with tours and volunteers.

“It’s a big role for the museum,” Bonde said.

According to Bonde, he was impressed with her hand-on approach with museum programs she learned while in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Her understanding of museums and Northern Nevada also will be a big asset.

Bonde said Moon has begun her new role with the museum and has brought enthusiasm to her team of who works with her.

Moon may be contacted at the museum via email at mmoon@nevadaculture.org or by calling 775-687-4810, ext. 243.