About Me
Hello! My name is Hope Snipes, I am 26 years old, and I have a Bachelor’s in Anthropology from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. I’m from Davis, but I moved to the Bay Area with my partner for his job last year. I ended up in Canada because of how beautiful Victoria is, as well as the affordability of their schooling. My partner and I both love going to museums, nature parks, zoos, etc. in any place we visit. I had never even been to Los Gatos before applying to this job, but I’m super glad I was given the opportunity to work for NUMU. Los Gatos has such a vivid and interesting history, and I will definitely be back to visit.
My Degree and Work History
Previously to this job I worked with the Tseshaht first nation in BC, on an archaeological site where I focused on lithic material and stone tools. We excavated at the site and got to do lab work on the material afterwards, through the Bamfield Marine Sciences Center, in conjunction with the Tseshaht tribe. It was truly an amazing experience to work with them, I am so glad our work went to good use there. I also worked with the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, and I truly loved doing the museum work. I definitely want to continue working in collections and conservation. After a couple pandemic-fueled years working retail jobs, I am so grateful I was able to work this internship with NUMU.
My Time at NUMU
Anyone who knows me in my personal life knows I love antiquing and collecting, so a job in the collections department seems like a no-brainer. I worked primarily on material from Cathedral Oaks, pertaining to Los Gatos royalty Frank Ingerson and George Dennison. It was so amazing to get to work on material from a prolific and artistic gay couple; they are truly my new heroes. I spent pretty much all my time organizing and sorting through the material NUMU has on them; from sketches and notebooks, to letters with the Menuhin family, to telegrams with Olivia de Havilland, to power and water bills for the Cathedral Oaks estate. I got to do hours of research on fine arts and local history, and I loved every minute of it. I felt truly in my element working at NUMU, and I’m so happy I got to spend the past few months doing something I loved.
-written by Hope Snipes
