Meet the Board: Christy Davis


Christy Davis, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Registrar


Please start with small intro paragraph about where you work and what you do there.

I am the Registrar at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. My role consists of maintaining our collection of objects and archives in our museum database as well as handling all incoming and outgoing loans. I supervise the interns working within the collection as well as specially trained volunteers who assist with collections care tasks.

What is your earliest museum memory (Perhaps an institution you visited as a child)?

My earliest museum memory is going to the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum with my grandpa when he would pick me up from preschool. We would go for a walk up the steps of the McKinley Monument, and then tour the museum to see the dinosaurs and planetarium. 

What led you to go into the museum field?

In preschool, I drew a picture of myself as “a person who digs up dinosaur bones” (because, at the age of 4, I had a hard time saying paleontologist). There were a few other interests between there and college. In college, I found myself working in the art gallery on campus as a work study position. From there, I decided to pursue working in a similar field and found my niche as a Museum Registrar.

What is your workspace like?

I share a basement office space with two other members of our Museum Staff. I work right outside the collections storage room since many of my daily tasks involve interacting in that space.  My cubicle is decorated with photographs of and pictures drawn by my 6-year-old, 4-year-old, and 15-month-old.

What item in your office can you not live without?

I listen to music all day and have at least two pairs of headphones at my desk at any given time.

Describe your favorite work memory. What was your best day like?

My favorite work memory is the exhibit titled “From Pads to Palette: The Artwork of Ernie Barnes”. I may work in a football museum but my background is in fine art and this was a unique opportunity for the two worlds to combine into a fantastic exhibit. Ernie Barnes was a former NFL player who quit the game and went on to become a very successful artist. I worked with the Ernie Barnes Family Trust to curate, install, and design the exhibit from layout to didactic panels. The featured artwork was incredible and it was a great experience.

What does your dream museum look like?

Our museum is currently undergoing a major transformation and I am excited to see how things progress in the coming years. My dream museum would have something for everyone in the family to enjoy and leave a lasting impression on those who visit. The changes coming to our museum are set to accomplish all of that and more!

What is the best advice you have ever received?

The Gallery Director I worked under at Capital University always said you should stop for lunch or for the day before you are entirely done with a task. Then, you know exactly where to start when you return and don’t waste time trying to figure out your next move.


What are you currently reading?

 “The Underground Railroad” by Colston Whitehead.  

Is there anything else you would like to add?

OMA serves as a wonderful opportunity to connect and network with peers who have experience with some of the same issues everyone seems to share no matter the theme, size or budget level of the institution. 

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