Biltmore Reflections (pt. 4)
The Big Promotion: Becoming Curator of Biltmore
One day, I got a call to go to the main office in Biltmore Village where upper management worked. When I arrived, the only other woman assistant manager at Biltmore was there, too. We smiled at each other and shrugged our shoulders…
We were being promoted! Both of us became the first women managers at Biltmore! Exciting and a tiny bit overwhelming, too. What should go on my to-do list? What projects should be prioritized? How could I make the job of me and my half-time secretary into a department?
One of the things that I joke about, but it was real, I was told not to use the “M” word - museum! In meetings when I made a comment about Biltmore being a historic house museum, I was corrected and told, “We’re a historic attraction.” A reminder that while preservation was important, marketing and entertainment ruled. To think I played a role in creating what is today the Museum Services Department that oversees preservation, research, conservation, exhibition development, and more, is very gratifying. And to think that the person overseeing that department is someone I hired! It means a lot to think that I was a transitional curator, helping to set the foundation for that impactful department.