November 4, 2025
Art director Brittany Ballinger and assistant director of collections Silvia Manrique approach museum work from very different angles—design and preservation—but share a deep passion for objects. In their conversation, they trace the unexpected paths that brought them here, swapping stories about choosing fonts and managing big projects. Read on to find out what keeps them inspired, from favorite local museums to favorite colors.
How did you end up at The Wolfsonian?
Brittany: Oh man, how much can I get into it? Someone who worked at the Frost Art Museum told me about a job opening here in the box office, selling tickets, making coffees, being in the shop. That turned into an internship, which became a full-time position, then a promotion, and another…. Ten years later, I'm the art director.
Silvia: You enjoy what you do, that's great.
Brittany: What about you?
Silvia: My first interview was for a project where Micky Wolfson wanted to give [the museum] 25,000 objects, but they were all moldy because of environmental conditions. My first job was to lead that project: cleaning, packing, and moving everything here. Then, I became an assistant registrar, and later a conservator. Well, I was a conservator already, but the position was added to my title. Now I'm assistant director of collections and I'm very happy to be here holding multiple roles at once, because it gives me variety.
Brittany: I think you have one of the coolest jobs, especially knowing that you can pick your own projects.
Silvia: I'm glad that I'm able to help guide the collection somehow.
Brittany: That's something I've loved about this job, being able to carve your path in a way. I really do enjoy being art director now because I have more autonomy, which keeps things interesting and fun.
What was the last museum you went to?
Brittany: This isn't the last museum I went to, but one that keeps popping up in my head is the History of Diving Museum in Islamorada. It's absolutely fascinating. What I like about smaller, niche museums is their ability to get me interested in something that I have no idea about. In this case, the evolution of scuba diving.
Silvia: I agree with that, even if the museum is very tiny and they don't have a lot of resources, they give you something special. I don't know if you have been to the Miccosukee Village Museum in the Everglades. They cover how the Tribe used to wrestle with the alligators and how they made their canoes and how they are still around, and there's a short video where they talk about the contemporary Miccosukee. It's a very lovely place. Very small, but I enjoy it. Whenever somebody comes to visit, I tell them to go there.
Brittany: Yeah, it's funny how impact doesn’t even have to do with size or resources.
How would you describe one another's job?
Silvia: I guess you design stuff for the museum. You give the museum its personality, like…
Brittany: A brand?
Silvia: Using color and text and illustrations. And you make everything cohesive—our exhibitions, our store, our website. You create the image of the museum, and you dress the museum in the style that makes it recognizable as [The Wolfsonian].
Brittany: That is a lovely way to put it! It's a team effort, even though I'm a department of one. I get input from so many different people on design, which I think is really helpful. Sometimes designers can get stuck in their own idea of what "good design" is, and then you show it to someone and they're like, "What does that even say?" or "That doesn’t work," and you find a better solution. It makes the work more accessible and leads to more interesting ideas.
Silvia: I imagine that you are always looking at what looks good, what looks bad, what can be improved.
Brittany: Yes! It's a curse.
Silvia: This happens to me when I visit other museums. I always see the details from a collections perspective.
Brittany: So, you're the guardian of the collection. That's a lot. Do you feel a lot of pressure to maintain the collection and make sure that it's safe?
Silvia: It is a lot of work, so sometimes it's stressful in that way. But somehow deep down, I am an optimist, and I think everything will work out. It involves project management and making sure that every person has a job and that it's happening so we can move forward.
Brittany: I think we're in such a better position than we were for years. Just knowing all the projects that you've worked on and guided, it's pretty admirable.
Silvia: Thank you. What I like about you is that you voice your opinion, but you are very nice [about it]. Whenever you say something, everybody is like, "Yes, you're right." I feel that every time you open your mouth, everybody agrees with you [laughs].
Brittany: [Laughs] That's because I pay them off.
What's your favorite color?
Silvia: Probably black. Most of the time, I wear black.
Brittany: I like so many colors. Right now, I gravitate toward green. I really love green. I think it's calming, it's powerful, it's regal, it's fresh. But there's so many other great colors.