Dear Marie,
I have not had trouble with any of my interns or staffers regarding
appropriate dress in general (lucky me), however, I have always made it
very clear that closed-toe shoes are required. For working in
collections areas, we did not want any problem with someone jamming a
toe while moving an object, moving a ladder, losing a sandal on a ladder
and then losing balance, and worst of all, having a knife slip out of
their hands while mount-making. I will be the first to admit that I wear
sandals to work on occasion, but I have a pair of work shoes, socks and
even a nice pair of slacks on hand for the "quick-change" as someone
suggested.
If you are looking to write a policy, I highly suggest putting this shoe
provision in. It has spared me from seeing many a bloody foot.
Best,
Isabel Tovar
Collections Manager
NAGPRA Coordinator
Department of Anthropology
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80205
office: 303-370-6383
fax: 303-370-6313
[log in to unmask]
www.dmns.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Via, Marie
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 9:28 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] dress code for employees and interns
Our museum is debating the pros and cons of adopting a dress code for
museum staff. This has come up primarily because a few interns,
volunteers and younger staffers are wearing shorts, rubber flip-flops,
spaghetti straps, revealing necklines, hats, etc., to work. In the
past, supervisors have simply talked one-on-one with a person they felt
was inappropriately dressed for his or her particular position,
emphasizing that they were doing themselves a disservice if people don't
take them serious. And obviously there was some degree of difference in
the expectations of a front-end vs. behind-the-scenes people. A few
people have not responded well to this and cite the absence of a written
policy. (*sigh*) Obviously, we need to find a way to balance our
identity as an institution that fosters creativity and personal
expression with our commitment to professionalism.
I'd appreciate hearing feedback on this situation and hearing from
anybody whose museum has a written dress code.
Marie Via, Director of Exhibitions
Memorial Art Gallery
500 University Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607
585-473-7720, x3012
http://mag.rochester.edu
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