Staff Highlight: Rachel Rodrigues, Shop Manager at the Museum Shop

Museum gift shops are an important extension of many collecting institutions. At the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, visitors pass by and through the BCMA Shop as they enter and exit.  In this conversation with Rachel Rodrigues, the BCMA Shop Manager, we discuss how the shop supports the academic mission of the BCMA and the values of the College at large. The transcript has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

Amanda Skinner: Could you please share with us your background and why you were drawn to working at the BCMA in the role as Shop Manager?  

Rachel Rodrigues: I have always been interested in art. As a maker myself, my medium of choice is painting in acrylic and oil painting, and in the past I have also painted on silk. Regarding silk painting, I am largely self-taught but have traveled to Southeast Asia to learn the technique of batik. I combined batik technique with a French style of painting on silk to create my own unique process. I belong to a cooperative art group called Sebascodegan Artists, and every summer we have a show for two weeks on Bailey Island.  

Previously serving in various retail and customer service positions, I started as the BCMA Shop Manager in June 2023. To be the Shop Manager at the BCMA is a dream job for me. As a practicing artist, I find it inspiring to be surrounded by art and creative people. I am delighted to be working with my Shop colleagues Claudia Brzoza, Lauren Hendrickson, Toni Kemmerle, Janet Roberts, Debbie Smyth, and Jonathan Pessant, each of whom brings their own talents to the job. The success of the BCMA Shop is a collaborative effort. 

AS: Along those lines, how does the Museum Shop interface with the mission and broader goals of the BCMA? And with that of the College at large?  

RR: We try to source products that reflect the BCMA’s mission to educate and inspire through art. For example, many products featured in the Shop correspond with the Permanent Collection or with exhibitions on view. Much thought goes into each product offered, and we consider that our products an extension of a visitor’s experience at the BCMA. We appreciate that our products serve as a way for our visitors to take their experience at the Museum home with them. One example is a recent collaboration with artist Theresa Secord. Her Pasokos (Sturgeon) Basket (2023), a recent acquisition to the Museum’s Permanent Collection, was displayed in Threads: Artists Weave Their Worlds (October 12, 2023-October 6, 2024). Earlier this year I reached out to her to see about selling her work in the Shop. Based on that conversation, she sent us some beautiful woven sweetgrass and ash bookmarks (pictured), which are available for purchase while supplies last. 

One important way in which we help support the educational mission of the College is through the Museum’s student internship program; every year we have summer interns who serve as Shop assistants. Their perspectives are invaluable to the functions of the Shop, and they also help us to cultivate a welcoming environment for our visitors. We love working with Bowdoin students because they bring wonderful energy that helps us connect with our visitors, and in turn their experience here offers them a window into the operations of a shop within a cultural institution as they think about their own professional futures. We have also been connecting to the campus through offered programming, such as hosting student acapella groups during the Holiday Sale. This past spring we organized and hosted a poetry event which featured student poets from The Quill and The Nightingale. We also offer a rotation of special merchandise sales in conjunction with campus-wide events like Homecoming, Family Weekend, Reunion, and Commencement.  

AS: As Shop Manager, what does a typical day look like for you?  

RR: As the most public-facing department at the BCMA, our role involves overseeing the entryway Pavilion to ensure that we are creating a welcoming environment for our visitors. A typical day also involves checking the status of inventory and corresponding with vendors, as well as administrative tasks such as managing staff scheduling, processing BCMA memberships, and communicating with our security officers to ensure alignment. The day might also include event planning for an upcoming special sale or program. 

AS: Could you tell us about some current initiatives at the shop? 

RR: Whenever possible, we strive to offer products that represent ethical and socially conscious practices, which aligns with the College’s focus on the spirit of the common good. Some of our new products, for example, represent such conscientious practices, including products from Dandarah Glass Ornaments, a fair-trade and BIPOC woman-owned company with a mission to support artisans and sustain traditional crafts, Mayan Hands Baskets, a fair-trade non-profit dedicated to providing economic and educational opportunities for women artisans in Guatemala, Green Pebble Stationary, which produces greeting cards made from recycled and biodegradable materials, and Conscious Step Socks, another fair-trade company which donates a portion of every sale to various nonprofit organizations. We also try to offer as much as possible the work of local artists, craftsmen, and authors. 

AS: Are there any upcoming events or special sales? 

RR: Yes! With the holidays approaching, we will be offering some special events:  

During Museum Store Sunday (Sunday, December 1, 2024), everything will be 20% off. We are hoping to include some giveaways and a raffle featuring BCMA merchandise. Refreshments and cookies will be served. Museum Store Sunday is a global event; the idea behind it is to raise awareness of Museum stores and their status as an integral part of cultural institutions.  

For the Holiday Sale this year (20% off everything from December 5 through 8, 2024), we will be hosting a special Holiday Sale event on Thursday, December 5, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m. The event will include performances by acapella student groups Ursus Verses and Boka. Light refreshments, sparkling wine, and snacks will be served.  

We are also hoping to offer another poetry event for National Poetry Month in April, so stay tuned! 

The Museum Shop is open during BCMA open hours. Also visit The Museum Shop Online  for exhibition catalogues, posters, and gifts produced by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.