Meet the 2012 Point Scholars

Nicole Robert

University of Washington
Feminist Studies
 

Nicole Robert is the proud mother of two young children and came out later in life after grappling with her own shifting identity. She found herself having to confront the limited representations of gender and sexuality that exist in the world at large and in museums specifically.

Responding to these gaps, Robert earned an M.A. in museology from the University of Washington and is now pursuing a PhD in feminist studies. Her research focuses on the intersections of race, gender and sexuality in U.S. history museums.

In 2012, Robert co‐founded the Queering the Museum project. In 2013, QTM hosted a digital storytelling workshop for local LGBT individuals and will present “Queering the (History) Museum” in collaboration with Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry. Robert’s dissertation work connects queer theories, feminist theories and museological practices in what she is calling "Critical Feminist Museology." This approach uses methods of critical reflection to spur new conversations about race, gender and sexuality.

Robert enjoys teaching in both the formal institution of the university and the informal space of museums and seeks to connect the practices of these two spaces in her future work.