You’re watching an epic Star Wars battle: Luke Skywalker is facing Darth Vader. The space villain looks powerful. He is wearing a helmet and sweeping black cape. It’s one of the most iconic costumes from the history of film. But have you ever wondered where it is now? 

    You might find it at the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle, Washington. That’s where Adeerya Johnson is a curator. She helps collect, research, and write about objects related to pop culture. This includes sketches, photos, video games, clothing, and instruments. 

    Adeerya helps organize these items into museum exhibits. Those exhibits tell stories. They might look at why a certain movie was popular or how gaming has changed over time. We asked Adeerya about her creative job. 

What makes something an artifact? 

    An artifact is anything that’s important to a history or culture. If you were a museum exhibit, your artifacts could be your first bike, a favorite pair of sneakers, or a family photo. Together they tell a story about who you are.

What are some of the most exciting artifacts you’ve worked with? 

    It was really cool to get Darth Vader’s original costume. I was also a huge Power Rangers fan as a kid, so working with one of their costumes was a lot of fun. Oh, and we also have one of Beyoncé’s outfits!

What would people be surprised to know about your job? 

    An exhibit can take about two years to put together. Also, we have more than 85,000 artifacts—but only 1 percent of our collection can be displayed at once. The rest stays in storage. That makes it tricky to decide which stories to tell. We could make the entire museum on just one Disney movie! 

Why would you say your job is important? 

    Museums allow you to learn about things that existed before you were born. They help you understand places you’ve never been. As curators, we connect the public to history, science, culture, and media.