Collections Manager
About
Sebastián Encina (BA in anthropology and history, St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY; MA in anthropology, George Washington University; MSI, University of Michigan) has been collections manager at the Kelsey Museum since 2003. Previously, he worked at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in the Anthropology Department. He was also a program assistant at the Institute of Museum and Library Services, as well as an archivist and cataloguer at the George Eastman House.
During his time at the Kelsey, Sebastián has been responsible for the museum’s database, its functionality, and its upgrades. In 2007/8, he planned the move of the collections and registry into its new home in the Upjohn Exhibit Wing. In his day-to-day role, Sebastián is heavily involved with exhibitions, and his own exhibition, Ancient/Modern: The Design of Everyday Things, ran in 2014.
Sebastián’s primary interest is making information readily and freely available. To this end, he has overseen a continuous digitization of collections, including archival materials, and has investigated how to make it all available to students, classes, researchers, and the general public.
Sebastián is a member of the American Alliance of Museums, and is the chair of the Collections Stewardship Professional Network. In this role, Sebastián works with AAM to connect, train, and advocate for collections professionals across the country. Sebastián is also chair of the U-M Collections Committee, a gathering of U-M collections professionals that share information and resources.
