Learning at the Wylie House is experiential
Grant-funded experiential learning brings museum career into focus
For Emma Crim, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, a single class visit to a Bloomington landmark transformed into a career-defining journey.
The Columbus, Indiana native has developed from volunteer to host to museum assistant at Wylie House Museum — a progression made possible through the Experiential Learning Development Grant.
Student development, community impact
Emma Crim '26, Art History and Religious Studies double major, minoring in Folklore and Ethnomusicology, grew up in Columbus, Indiana surrounded by Modernist architecture. "I like art a lot. I like to say I can't make it, so I study it," she explained. "I also really love history, and it was just like the perfect field to blend two loves that I have together. Her path to museum work began when her American Arts / American Identities class visited Wylie House. "I volunteered for a bit after my class visited Wylie, and then I started working as a museum assistant in the fall after interning at the Monroe County History Museum over the summer. It's been fantastic. It's phenomenal”, she said.
The Wylie House Museum, built in 1835, stands as one of Bloomington's most significant historic landmarks, offering free public tours and tailored demonstrations for IU classes. As the former home of IU's first president, Andrew Wylie, the museum serves as a bridge between the university's past and the present-day community. Currently, Crim’s developing a self-guided tour based on her historical research of the Wylie property’s trees as part of the museum’s Louisa Wylie Boisen Garden Project; an exhibition opening May 1, 2026.
“I look through photos from our archives and cataloging software, searching for different images to use for our exhibits," said Crim.
"Wylie has been here since 1835. It's a really big part of IU's history, and the Wylie family contributed to Bloomington in so many diverse ways from horticulture, establishing libraries, and expanding IU from a seminary school to a public university," Crim noted.
From hands-on experience to graduate school
Working at Wylie House Museum, Crim has developed skills in collections management, archival navigation, cataloging, object handling, and public outreach — all critical to her future in museum work. The role has also connected her with professionals across various fields, from collaborating with the Indiana University Chair of Geography, Justin Maxwell, on tree coring to connecting with naturalists throughout Indiana and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Drawing on all she has learned, Crim is now applying for a dual Masters of Art History and Library Science degree through the College of Arts and Sciences and Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, with plans to pursue art librarianship, concentrating in cataloging and archivals. "This experience has absolutely shaped what I want to do in the future," she emphasized. "Being able to continue research, building off what others have done, and translating everything into a lens appropriate for current museum practices — that's really meaningful," she said.
Working at Wylie House Museum, Crim has developed skills in collections management, archival navigation, cataloging, object handling, and public outreach — all critical to her future in museum work.
"This experience has absolutely shaped what I want to do in the future," says Crim.
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Contributors
- Photography by
Isabel Kiessel
Senior Public Relations student at Indiana University-Bloomington
Formatted for web byMichelle Crowe
Assistant Dean, Engagement, Strategic Partnerships, and Communications