Matt Foss, director
At the beginning of each December, it is usually a lengthy discussion between my wife and I about what photo should represent our family on our annual Christmas card. Sometimes, it’s a shoe-in. Sometimes, the decision is harder as to what could accurately represent our family. This was one of those years. Although we took photos together throughout the year, there were no immediate slam dunks.
However, when looking back through the 2025 camera roll, there was one that fit the bill and represented the Museum too!
During summer 2025, one of my favorite exhibition elements was part of the impactful exhibition Double Exposure: Community Portraits. Because the photography of Pao Hoa Her often includes the home lives of Hmong Americans, and because the purpose of the exhibition was to foster a sense of community and belonging between all community members, Museum staff created a makeshift photo booth with an iPad selfie station set up in front of a backdrop of an interior setting where visitors could take their photo and share in the sense of belonging / togetherness the exhibition tried to inspire.
Concocted by the Museum’s talented exhibitions and educational teams, this aspect of the experience was a fun but important element in bringing the themes of the exhibition home. Of course, we as a Museum staff took a few photos to get in on the fun, and my family also wanted to be a part of it. The result is going to be the cover of our family Christmas card.
Although not professionally taken, or an image that inspires all the things the holidays represent for many, it’s pretty close to capturing what our daily lives look like as a family, so why not? Truth be told, if it was Pao herself taking our family photo, 9 out of 10 would probably end up like this one did.
