Matthew Randolph may be the newest member of the Arlington Museum of Art team, but he’s been part of the museum’s community of friends and advocates for years. As a seasoned communications and social media pro, Matt has worked with numerous clients in and around Downtown Arlington to create fun, engaging, and mutually beneficial partnerships with the AMA.
Now, Matt has joined the AMA team as our Associate Director for Communication. Not only will Matt share his expertise, creativity, and talent in expanding the museum’s programming and engagement efforts, but he will become the enthusiastic voice of the museum in our social media channels. Finally our TikTok will be all that it can be.
On his very first day on the job, we hit Matt up with a Q&A because we can’t wait for you to get to know him, too.
Arlington Museum of Art: What do you love most about working in communications and PR?
Matt Randolph: I love being able to use communications as a way to bring people together. To me, it’s not just about outreach and spreading the word – it’s about getting people in a community to be involved in something and spark their interest enough to bring them into a business or venue site.
Another thing that I love is analytics. I am such a nerd when it comes to those numbers, graphs, and charts. They tell you so much about what people are enjoying the most that you put out there for them to see.
AMA: Name a leader in our community who inspires you, and why.
Matt: DeeJay Johannessen. He is such a force for equality in our community and has made breakthroughs for just that on multiple levels.
AMA: When you travel, what kinds of experiences or destinations do you seek out?
Matt: I love traveling internationally, and always want to immerse myself into the history and culture of that region. If I can find ancient castle ruins, and stand where a king or queen was once crowned, I get absolute chills from it because that was such a huge moment in history that influenced the future. Not only that, but visiting other museums is always on my to-do list. Seeing paintings, sculptures, or artifacts that are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old amazes me because it’s literally a moment of time that captures what life was like then.
AMA: Outside of your work, what is one of your personal passions?
Matt: Baking! It’s not just a passion of mine, but it’s also therapeutic. I get so focused on what I’m baking that I become lost in making tiered cakes, soufflés, cookies, and so many others. Plus, I love working out, so it’s like a reward to make a fresh, three-layer, German chocolate cake after leg day in the gym!
AMA: When you’re out for drinks in Arlington, what is your favorite cocktail and where is your favorite spot to order it?
Matt: I’m a whiskey guy, and love ordering an Old Fashioned or Manhattan at Hooligan’s Pub in downtown Arlington!
AMA: When you think about a bright future for the AMA, what one thing do you think will contribute most to its long-term success?
Matt: Keep on bringing in these once-in-a-lifetime exhibits! The museum has been doing an AMAzing job with curating exhibits people could only dream of ever seeing. I can’t wait to start planning events for all of the upcoming exhibits and making things even more interactive with visitors!
AMA: What’s your Texas Rangers walk-on song?
Matt: Free Yourself by Jessie Ware. It’s a powerful song to help you push through at the gym, or when you know you want to make an entrance!
