Rising Stars: Meet Erik Mason of Longmont

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Mason.

Hi Erik , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and grew up in Boulder. I attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs, where I took a class in Museum Studies from a visiting professor who was a curator with the Smithsonian. He introduced us to the wonders behind the scenes at museums. For most museums, over 90% of their collection is in storage at any one time, providing opportunities for research and future exhibitions. I was hooked, and attended grad school in Cooperstown, NY, for History Museum Studies.
Returning home to Colorado after grad school, I answered an ad for an archivist position at the Longmont Museum. It was a small but well-run museum in downtown Longmont. Over the last 30 years, the Longmont Museum has moved, relocated its collections four times, and is now in the midst of its second expansion. I’ve moved up from archivist to Curator to Museum Director, learning and growing alongside the Museum.
I’ve stayed here at the Longmont Museum because of its commitment to the community. The programs, exhibits, and collections that the Museum holds are all based on community interests. Support from the community has also made possible our current expansion project, adding another gallery to provide even more opportunities for exhibitions and community impact.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course, there have been challenges. We opened the Museum’s current location at 400 Quail Road in the aftermath of the tech bubble collapse, and lost a staff position that was only finally restored two years ago. In 2012, the building where 12,000 pieces from the Museum’s collection were stored changed hands, and we had two months to pack and move all of those irreplaceable items. Luckily, when we unpacked we found only two items had broken.
When COVID hit, we pivoted quickly to remote programs, and supported other City departments making masks and using our plexiglass fabrication skills to make sneeze guards for every front desk in the City — about 40 in total.
The support from the City of Longmont, the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, and the Stewart Family Foundation of Longmont have been essential in helping us to weather these challenges.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I spent over 20 years as an Archivist and Curator at the Longmont Museum, working with people on historical research and building the Museum’s collection. I enjoyed creating and leading historic walking tours of downtown and Longmont’s early neighborhoods, and curating exhibits on historic photography, Longmont industries, and World War I. In 2020, I wrote “Longmont: The First 150 Years,” a book drawing on the Museum’s extensive photo and archival collection to explore the history of Longmont and its people.
Since becoming Longmont Museum Director in 2023, it’s been my privilege to lead a great team as we embark on a major expansion campaign, while continuing to offer outstanding programs, including the longest-running public Dia de Muertos celebration in Colorado, an outstanding and innovative early childhood program called Discovery Days, and an array of exciting talks, films, and concerts in the Museum’s Stewart Auditorium.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Listening is far more important than talking.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.longmontmuseum.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/longmontmuseum
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/longmontmuseum

Image Credits
Grace Baldwin