Author: Ashley Choi
Museum Studies intern at the University Art Gallery
Walking into the Frick Fine Arts building, I couldn’t help but be intimidated by what I saw. Large reproductions of the old masters adorned the walls of the cloister, and it was like I was stepping into a shrine dedicated to the renaissance. I began to think of myself as out of place as I knew little to nothing about fine art. What could an anthropology major bring to the table at a place like the University Art Gallery? After putting my doubts aside, I found that it was less about what I could do for the gallery and more about why I wanted to work in the museum field.
One of my assignments in the gallery was to put together two exhibitions. The main exhibition was an online collection curated around a central theme that I chose. This project really allowed me to utilize my skills in research and writing. Before this project, I was used to conducting scientific, so it was challenging to have to reframe how I approached researching art history. After combing through the gallery’s collection and choosing my pieces, I came to realize how crucial cultural and historic context is to understand the art that I curated. After months of scouring database, interviews, and even obituaries, I was able to incorporate what I found into extended labels that would be used in my online exhibition. Though it was fascinating to uncover the mysteries we had in our collection, the assignment that really caught my attention was working on the drawings donated by George Hubbard Clapp.
The “Clapp Drawings” were sketches that Clapp originally cut out and pasted onto pages in a bound book. For years they were kept in unfavorable conditions where they were exposed to leaks, spills, and burns. Leafing through the boxes we found all manner of stains from molds, paint, and even bugs squished between the paper. Our task was to report on their conditions, and needless to say we had much to write about. This opportunity was the most fascinating part of my internship, as I got the rare opportunity to handle and work with archival objects, something that I never thought I would be able to do in a college setting. Beyond just the physical interactions, I was also able to learn the intricacies of facilitating objects for long-term preservation, such as cataloging, climate control, and record-keeping. Before this project, I only had a minor interest in archival work and preservation, but after actually putting in the work that it takes to care for collections such as the Clapp Drawings, I know for certain that this is the field I want to pursue.
The UAG gave me the opportunity to explore several different areas, from curatorial work and setting up exhibition spaces, to the more technical research on the pieces we have tucked away. It allowed me to figure out what I loved about the museum field. I am also truly grateful for the people I worked with and how they welcomed me, I would not have been able to make sense of my goals as an intern without them.