Meet Current Students
Kathleen J. Miller
Email: KJ-Miller@wiu.edu, KMiller4957@gmail.com Kathy is a long-time resident of the Quad Cities, where she and her husband have raised three daughters. She studied fine art at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois and at Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois and is a 2009 graduate of Western Illinois University receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree with minors in business management and marketing. While a full-time student, Kathy worked as a Realtor® and is now co-owner and manager of a rental property business. Museums and art have been a life-long passion for Kathy as she has traveled the globe to visit museums. Her most recent museum trip included a marketing study of museums in London, UK, Istanbul, Turkey and Athens, Greece. While in Istanbul, Kathy presented her research about museum leisure time needs of non-visitors at the International Council of Museum's Inclusive Museums Conference and will be published in the organization's 2010 journal. She is currently researching the museum ethics of retaining possession of Greek artifacts with a case study of the Elgin Marbles. As a marketing intern, Kathy worked specifically with the museum store developing marketing strategies to improve store visibility and store revenue. As a curatorial intern working with Greg Gilbert, PhD at the Figge Art Museum, Kathy is researching exhibitions for the museum's schedule, learning the operation of the curatorial department, and working with development strategies to support the exhibitions. Graduating in December 2010 with the WIU Master of Arts in Museum Studies, Kathy aspires to become a museum director or to teach in a university setting.