Staff Spotlight – June

Summer is finally here, and we couldn’t be more excited at The New Children’s Museum! With this change of seasons, we are excited to present so many new and engaging activities for everyone to enjoy. From our interactive Community Gallery, to our contemporary Innovators LAB Makerspace, to our diverse Toddler Time activities, there are new adventures to explore for visitors of every age at the Museum.

With Mass Creativity Day coming up on Saturday, June 24, we wanted to highlight some of our staff members who have made our community workshops throughout San Diego such a success. We invite you to get to know the stars who continue to make the Museum such a memorable and enjoyable place to be.

We are honored and ecstatic to present Iyari, one of our incredibly talented Museum Playworkers, as our first ever Staff Spotlight this month!

What is the best part about working at The New Children’s Museum?
The best part is the fact that every day something is new at the Museum. You never know what the day is going to bring … and that’s exciting! It’s always a new adventure. You get to be creative, run around and be silly – that’s not something that everyone gets to do at work.

What is your favorite thing you’ve been a part of at the Museum?
Mass Creativity. It’s one of my favorite programs here at the Museum. It’s a great opportunity for us to get involved with our community and bring art to everyone throughout San Diego. Being a part of the creative team and getting to develop the workshops with the team has been a great learning experience. Bringing the workshops to life and seeing the families enjoy and appreciate them has been amazing. We’ve had so many beautiful words shared by people who have participated and who have trusted us with their stories.

Tell us a fact that most people don’t know about you.
My name means “heart” in the Indigenous language of Huicholes.

When you’re not working at the Museum, what do you enjoy doing?
I like to draw, write, go on hikes, and cook for my family and friends. I really like enjoying time with the people that I love – I love laughing and creating things together. I also enjoy teaching. I teach Theatre and Writing to high school students; it’s really, really fun!

Who is your favorite artist, and why?
Right now in the moment, it’s a poet Nayyirah Waheed. Her poems are very short, but they really get you to think about a lot of things. They convey so much emotion. Her book is called “Salt” and I think everyone should read it.

Tell us about your art!
I do theatre; I am an actress and a writer. I was recently in a production called South of the 8 with the La Jolla Playhouse. I write poetry, but I don’t share it that often. I say that I like to doodle – I used to think that wasn’t art, but it really is.

Name something that you’re great at doing.
I’m really good at playing Hide-And-Go-Seek in Make/Shift!

What is something that Museum visitors absolutely shouldn’t miss before they leave?
You have to find the Spoon Room!

What is your secret agent name? What mission should new spies try next time they visit the Museum?
This is Agent Starfish: New spies – try finding the cow that looks over the Museum…