Iberville Museum curator accepts position with First Amendment Museum in Maine

Megan Sylvester will soon venture from the land of crawfish to a region known for lobster.

The curator/director of the Iberville Parish Museum will vacate her post Friday to begin a job with the First Amendment Museum in Augusta, Maine.

The Ville Platte native will leave Iberville Parish after five years with the museum.

“I was surprised whenever the (Augusta) job worked out in my favor,” said Sylvester, who took the job in fall 2017.

The ability to keep the museum operations intact during and after the pandemic ranks as what she considers one of her biggest challenges during her tenure in Iberville Parish.

“A lot of that credit goes to the parish and local government for their willingness to support the museum,” Sylvester said.

The opening of the Atchafalaya Exhibit, which celebrates the art and lifestyle of Louisiana’s fabled heartland, tops the list of accomplishments during her time in Iberville Parish.

“The museum had been working on it since 2012 and we opened it in 2019,” she said. “We’re all very proud of that exhibit.”

The move is bittersweet for Sylvester, who grew up amid all the Louisiana traditions.

But she also relishes the opportunity to venture to another part of the country to experience its culture and lifestyle.

She said she will miss the people of Louisiana, but she can make the opportunity when she does not have children or other opportunities that would hold her back.

At 29, she said she’s at the perfect age to make the move.

“I’ve always wanted to venture out to a different part of the country and experience different people,” Sylvester said. “I see myself returning home and some point, and although I don’t know when I’ll return, I do see myself eventually coming back to Louisiana.

“I may be biased, but I still think Louisiana is one of the few states that has a unique culture,” she said. “But I’m also excited for where my career is going and there the trajectory will take me.”

The parish has received applicants and will soon begin the interview process, Sylvester said.