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During the summer of 2002 I worked as an intern at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. The Museum is a contemporary twentieth century American Art institution that has works in the mediums of painting, sculpture, prints, drawing, and photography. I was employed through the Museum’s Internship Program. I worked in the Registration Department under the Head Registrar, Suzanne Quigley.
My primary work projects stayed within the Registration Department where I performed both daily tasks and assisted with long-term projects. As an intern in the Registration Department I was able to assist and observe special projects that included the installation of the Joan Mitchell exhibition "The Paintings of Joan Mitchell." I spent time watching the arrival of loaned works and the unpacking and uncrating of them. I then helped with the installation process by placing identification labels that I created on the works, as they were unpacked. I also observed the process of completing condition reports side by side with a Registrar while she inspected the works and spoke with couriers and a conservator. This experience familiarized me with a major job component of a Registrar. Other major projects that I worked on included the archiving of Department files and updating TMS, the Museum’s cataloguing system, with information from past Biennial Exhibitions. Daily projects that I assisted with included filing condition reports, updating artist exhibition cards and necessary clerical work.
With my time spent at the Whitney Museum of American Art I received valuable work experience that would help me gain the skills that are required when working in an arts related institution, like a major Museum. And, at the same time, my time spent as an employee of the Museum was both enjoyable and fun. |
