Meet Mariel Watt | Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mariel Watt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mariel, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
The Pinal County Historical Museum provides a community space to discuss local history and beyond. It creates an atmosphere that sparks curiosity and connects people to Pinal County’s past, present, and future. Time moves differently here!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career has waxed and waned as I added more education and balanced family life. There were times when I took on internships to earn extra money while I pursued my doctorate. While it was not always easy, I am so glad I persisted despite challenges. I am thrilled to have a couple of decades of museum experience behind me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I enjoy going off the beaten path. I love taking short weekend road trips to places like Silver City, Bisbee, Jerome, and other historic areas. I love exploring ruins of any era. I particularly appreciate traversing the desert on horseback.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have received so much mentorship over the years, but especially at the University of Arizona Special Collections, University of Arizona Department of History, University of Arizona School of Information and the Western Archaeological Conservation Center.

Website: https://www.pchmuseum.org

Image Credits
Selfies