The Owensboro Museum of Science and History has launched a new initiative called Coffee Curators, a quarterly club designed to give students in grades 6-9 a hands-on look at what it’s like to work in a museum.
The club is open to youth ages 11-14 and will meet five times in 2026, with the first session having taken place last week. Each session includes behind-the-scenes access to museum artifacts, guidance on how to care for and research historical items, and the opportunity to create a rotating mini-exhibit that will be displayed within the museum. Participants also receive free admission and refreshments, including coffee or hot cocoa.
Museum Director Isaac Settle said the new club helps fill a programming gap for middle school students who often age out of youth-centered exhibits but still have a curiosity about history and culture.
“Once you get toward the end of middle school, some of the interest in the museum can fade,” Settle said. “This is one of the ways we’re working to keep kids engaged and give them a deeper connection to the museum through their teen years.”
Participants will get to choose objects from the museum’s collection, learn about preservation, write labels or short descriptions about their significance, and assemble a small exhibit with the help of museum staff.
Settle said the idea came from the museum’s education director, Ali Huffman, who will help lead the club.
“Ali has been working on this for a while, and I’ll be helping with the logistics and some of the content, especially the collections and preservation side,” he said. “But it’s really her program, and I’m excited to see where go with it.”
Settle said he hopes the program inspires other teens to develop the same connection to the museum that he did. He began working there as a teenager and stayed involved through college.
“I was always interested in this stuff, and the museum was a great outlet for me to explore that,” he said. “I’m really hoping there are some bright young minds in the community who want to do the same.”
Remaining club dates for 2026 are April 7, June 9, September 8, and December 8. All sessions will run from 5-6:30 p.m. Spots are limited. To register, visit forms.gle/Vh9xXf2jhGcBzLYw8.
