“When this opportunity presented itself, I thought it was a great fit for me to get back into the museum field and also to share Lake Placid’s history,” she said. “It’s, like, two things I love in one job.”

Originally from central New York, Bastian, 29, moved to Lake Placid six years ago after graduating from Wells College in Aurora to work the museum director and collections manager at the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society, leaving in late 2021.

She later spent some time as the annual fund manager at the North Country School and Camp Treetops in Lake Placid before transitioning back to her first professional passion, museum directing.

“It’s definitely much bigger coming down here throughout the day,” she said, referring to the differences between the Olympic Museum and the historical society.

“Just seeing the number of visitors that are enjoying their time in the galleries is so inspiring and I think creates more of a momentum to keep thinking of what’s next, what new opportunities we can present, how we can bring repeat visitors in. We have such a unique and global history to share.”

For almost a decade, Bastian’s life has been about studying and preserving the past. She first “fell into” museum work when she interned at her local historical society.

“I loved working with the collections and the artifacts, and ever since then, I’ve just pursued museum positions,” she said. “I really love being able to interpret history and see the visitor experience as they absorb information and get feedback and the ever-evolving space of museums.”

The Olympic Museum’s space has evolved a lot in the past year. Following extensive renovations, it reopened its doors last December with new interactive exhibits and displays. Bastian’s favorite exhibit, “Design and the Olympics,” showcases posters, torches, ceremonial costumes and celebratory pins from various Olympic Winter Games.

“I love the torch case and the medals with the pin display in the back,” she said. “I think this space looks really, not only fragile, but also aesthetically interesting with all of the different elements of countries in this one room.”

She has taken a particular interest lately in the 1994 Olympic Winter Games, which took place in Lillehammer, Norway, and a famous skating couple who competed there.

“When I first joined the museum in the summer, I found a book in my office. That was ‘My Sergei’ by Ekaterina Gordeeva,” Bastian said. “It was about her life, an autobiography about her and her relationship with her skating partner Sergei Grinkov, and I fell in love with them. They won gold in 1994 Lillehammer and that was the last Olympics they competed in.”

Grinkov died in 1995 at the age of 28 after he suffered a massive heart attack while practicing with Gordeeva in Lake Placid. “My Sergei” was published a year later.

After reading the book, Bastian had found her historical entry point. She began to study the background of the Olympics more extensively, especially the Lillehammer games. Most of her work at the museum, though, is not about the past but rather the future. As museum director, she spends most of her time on development and creating connections within the Lake Placid and Olympic communities.

“Working on that community connection is really important to me,” she said. “Right now, I’m working on fostering a donor base that is committed and believes in our mission. We are a nonprofit museum. That means that the collections care, exhibit upkeep, new exhibits and all of our public programs are donor and grant-funded. I’m working on growing and developing the organization to, you know, keep this positive momentum.”

The museum has introduced plenty of new initiatives in recent months. Bastian was particularly proud of the museum’s educator resources, including the free field trips on offer to all New York schools and virtual tours of the design exhibit.

“Right now, we’re working on different programs that, when field trips come here, we can offer them not only an interactive program with our exhibits, but something that’s fun and gets them thinking creatively,” she said.

Bastian has also been working on a “super fun and exciting” Giving Tuesday campaign with a local Olympian and local school, which will be revealed to the public on Nov. 28. As for the museum itself, she hopes to maintain the things that are working while addressing areas of improvement for future visitors.

“The narrative that is being told in the exhibits and also the new designs — I think the visitors really love the new space,” she said. “What we’re trying to improve is the accessibility and inclusivity of the visitor experience. So, that means making available an audio tour, multiple languages, and looking at different avenues to make it more of an accessible experience for everyone.

The Lake Placid Olympic Museum is located in the Olympic Center at 2634 Main St. and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, visit lakeplacidolympicmuseum.org.