Interview with Jennifer Reynolds-Kaye
Date10 July 2025
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 39 Minutes, 31 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
Description(a) Audio file of interview with Jennifer Reynolds-Kaye. She was interviewed by Tania Alfonso on 10 July 2025 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. (b) Photograph of Jennifer Reynolds-Kaye taken at her interview.
Jennifer Reynolds-Kaye was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Community History Project discussing moments of change in her life.
Jennifer starts the interview by talking about how she is the director at the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport and has twin 12-year-olds. She and her husband initially moved to Connecticut for work. She talks about how change for her is the only thing that is consistent, emphasizing its inevitability and the importance of embracing it. She also talks about how children are okay with change, while adults struggle to accept it.
Jennifer has had many moments of change in her life, but for the interview, she wanted to focus on getting her job as director of the HMA. She mentions working for a foundation, teaching as an adjunct, and doing side work for the Guggenheim as jobs that led her back to her passion for art museums. She found herself scrolling on her phone one day, and a job posting for the director of the HMA came up. She immediately knew that’s what she wanted, and so she started preparing for it. Upon receiving the job offer, Jennifer was ecstatic and felt that her previous experiences and professional network had prepared her well for this role.
She reflects on the rewarding aspects of her job, particularly working with students and enhancing the museum's community engagement. She talks about the existential challenges facing academic museums and her proactive efforts to ensure the museum remains integral to its educational mission. She is also exploring ways to integrate the museum more deeply into workforce development for the cultural sector.
Jennifer reflects on how her job has impacted her personal life. She specifically talks about her increased confidence in professional settings and a stronger network. She also discusses how her role has influenced her family's perception of her, specifically her children: “It's made them see that women can do really important things, and mothers can do really important things both inside and outside the home.”
Jennifer talks about having personal growth because of her job at the HMA. She reflects on a growth in her confidence and on how she has become more strategic. She talks about learning to manage her time effectively to avoid burnout, managing her personal and professional life.
In her conclusion, Jennifer talks about her aspirations for the museum’s future, including potential expansions and program developments. Her words of advice are, “The biggest lesson I've learned is that being strategic is so important to success.”
Jennifer Reynolds-Kaye was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Community History Project discussing moments of change in her life.
Jennifer starts the interview by talking about how she is the director at the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport and has twin 12-year-olds. She and her husband initially moved to Connecticut for work. She talks about how change for her is the only thing that is consistent, emphasizing its inevitability and the importance of embracing it. She also talks about how children are okay with change, while adults struggle to accept it.
Jennifer has had many moments of change in her life, but for the interview, she wanted to focus on getting her job as director of the HMA. She mentions working for a foundation, teaching as an adjunct, and doing side work for the Guggenheim as jobs that led her back to her passion for art museums. She found herself scrolling on her phone one day, and a job posting for the director of the HMA came up. She immediately knew that’s what she wanted, and so she started preparing for it. Upon receiving the job offer, Jennifer was ecstatic and felt that her previous experiences and professional network had prepared her well for this role.
She reflects on the rewarding aspects of her job, particularly working with students and enhancing the museum's community engagement. She talks about the existential challenges facing academic museums and her proactive efforts to ensure the museum remains integral to its educational mission. She is also exploring ways to integrate the museum more deeply into workforce development for the cultural sector.
Jennifer reflects on how her job has impacted her personal life. She specifically talks about her increased confidence in professional settings and a stronger network. She also discusses how her role has influenced her family's perception of her, specifically her children: “It's made them see that women can do really important things, and mothers can do really important things both inside and outside the home.”
Jennifer talks about having personal growth because of her job at the HMA. She reflects on a growth in her confidence and on how she has become more strategic. She talks about learning to manage her time effectively to avoid burnout, managing her personal and professional life.
In her conclusion, Jennifer talks about her aspirations for the museum’s future, including potential expansions and program developments. Her words of advice are, “The biggest lesson I've learned is that being strategic is so important to success.”
Object number2024.79.45a-b
NotesSubject Note: The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History’s Community History Project (CHP) is a public-facing initiative, focused on contemporary collecting, gathering items of the recent past as well as from events happening today. This program developed community historians to identify, document, and preserve their experiences as residents of Connecticut, and to share these experiences during a series of community presentations. The project focused on the theme "Redefining Moments of Change." Conneticans share stories of people or events who have changed their lives or how they have sparked change in the lives of others.Cataloging Note: Digitization and access to this collection is supported by a Congressionally Directed grant through the U.S. Department of Education.
Subject Terms
- Bridgeport
- People of color
- Oral history
- Interviews
- Oral narratives
- Women
- Motherhood
- Women white collar workers
- Housatonic Museum of Art (Bridgeport, Conn.)
- Career change
- Family
- Relationships
- Museums
- Community colleges
- Students
- Interviews and Oral Histories
- Born Digital Audio
- Community History Project U.S. Department of Education grant
- Redefining Moments of Change Collection
On View
Not on view
2 July 2025
30 June 2025
26 October 2025
