I first met Alex as a fellow gallery assistant at the Chan Gallery, first virtually then in person. As we returned to campus, I was able to interact with her in our shared classes and as we worked on Painting: New Approaches. Alex’s passion for her majors of art and art history are clear, and the experiences and knowledge she has from her internships made her an invaluable resource. Our interactions in studio spaces during the late hours of the night were so helpful in my understanding of the professional art world, and I hope this interview is able to present some advice to those reading.
Q: What is your role at your current workplace?
A: This summer, I was working as a curatorial intern and later as a curatorial assistant at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, NM. I was doing research to aid in the publication of an open access, digital catalogue raisonné of O'Keeffe's work. This included writing an essay for the catalogue on O'Keeffe's identity as a public figure. Right now, I am about to start my job as an Auxiliar de Conversación (an English language teaching assistant) for a high school in Valencia, Spain.
Q: How did you get into this work?
A: I have always loved art and art history, but I became interested in museum work in high school when I interned at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History for a couple of years. I loved the experience of working in a museum and helping with curatorial projects. In college, I worked at the Pomona College Chan Gallery and helped curate digital and in-person art exhibitions. Last summer, I worked for the Whitney Museum of American Art as a curatorial intern. All of these were such positive experiences that they have made me want to continue in the art world.
Q: How did your experiences at Pomona help you in your new role?
A: Working at the Chan Gallery helped me understand the logistics of putting on an art show, from developing the concept to displaying the art and everything in between. This was very helpful in my role for the O'Keeffe as I was doing a lot of research on historic exhibitions that featured O'Keeffe's artworks.
Q: Is there anything about working in the art world that has been surprising to you?
A: I was surprised to learn just how much time goes into exhibition planning. At the Whitney and the Albuquerque Museum, I was working on exhibitions that weren't going to open for another four years. There is so much to do in order to even formulate an idea for an exhibition.
Q: Is there any advice you would like to give current students?
A: It's really important to use the resources the school provides for you, especially outside of class. The jobs I worked at Pomona taught me just as much as my classes and it helped me develop relationships with some members of the college's incredible faculty and staff.