The first memory Olivia Nichols has of the Bruce dates back to the third grade, running through the Museum with her family on the way to Bruce Park.
For the self-described hyperactive nine year old, that’s what museums were for – a place to race through on the way to somewhere more engaging. Then came one trip to the Museum that helped her find her passion, not to mention a potential career.
“I was nine years old and on my way out of the Museum,” Olivia recalls, “Then I remember seeing the watermelon tourmaline and being so curious I had to stop to read the labels surrounding it.”
She spent the next hour going through the entire permanent exhibit, reading about minerals and the earth and suddenly being overwhelmed by the breadth of new knowledge.
“I ended up buying everything related to minerals that I could fit in my two small hands from the Museum Store,” Olivia says. “I felt cheated that no one had told me this had been here all along. Then I realized I just hadn’t been paying attention because I was so focused on getting to the park.”
Through her school years at Greenwich Country Day School and then Rye County Day, Olivia became a regular visitor to the Bruce. She describes her interest in art and culture as a family tradition; growing up with an architect mother and art historian grandmother made visiting museums a given.
“When my husband and I had our two daughters, the Bruce became a natural part of our outings,” says Olivia’s mother, Christine Nichols. “We would do a quick spin through the ‘hands-on’ natural science exhibits, check out the art across the hall, and then go across the street to the playground. After passing the exciting dinosaurs on our way up the hill, the girls and I would start our tour of the Bruce by putting our hands on the meteorite— and focusing on how this amazing piece came from another planet.”
“I think a big part of the allure of the Bruce Museum was that there were interactive parts to the natural science sections: Pieces that you could touch, that moved, that glowed in the dark,” Christine adds. “The people working there were always friendly and encouraging to children— even the security guards— and again, the size of the museum was so user-friendly. We could spend an hour or less there, and always learn something extraordinary.”
Olivia is now a college graduate, holding a degree in geology, archeology and medieval studies from Wesleyan University. Over the past several years, she has spent hundreds of hours volunteering at the Bruce. First she served as an intern in the Science department, starting literally on the ground floor, studying the exposed bedrock on which Museum sits. She also helped complete the geological analysis outside of the Museum, including parts of her beloved Bruce Park.
“Olivia’s enthusiasm for the Bruce Museum and its collections showed through while she taught,” said Laura Stricker, former manager of youth and family programs. “The kids could see and feel her excitement about what she was teaching and in turn, they became excited about what they were learning and experiencing.”
“Seeing these 4- and 5-year-olds’ eyes get so wide and sparkly makes me wonder if that was the look I had on my face when I first discovered all this,” says Olivia.
The Bruce Museum still sparks a childlike sense of wonder in Olivia. When the exhibition Treasures of the Earth: Mineral Masterpieces from the Robert R. Wiener Collection opened this past fall, Olivia says she “felt like a kid in a candy store when I first saw the gallery being installed with those magnificent, truly world-class specimens.”
Olivia’s passion for geology started at the Bruce, and it will now take her to Oklahoma where she will be learning how to map geological features and to refine maps for an energy exploration firm.
“Teaching comes naturally to Olivia, and putting that love of learning and teaching together with the Bruce just clicked,” says Christine Nichols. “She was lucky to volunteer and work there in various capacities. The staff made her feel like an integral part of the team, and they have been very encouraging professionally. I think she is interested in museum education, but for now, we are thrilled that she is getting practical experience in geology before returning to school for a Master’s degree.”
Rock on, Olivia!
For more information about volunteer opportunities at the Bruce Museum, please contact Mary Ann Lendenmann; mlendenmann@brucemuseum.org or 203-413-0376.