On Tuesday, I began my first day as a student intern in Belair Mansion. I've been given the title "Curatorial Intern" by the head curator, as I have been shadowing her for the past two days, learning how to catalog collections and other various museum duties.
The first day was a lot of discussions involving what I am interested in doing in a museum, where do I see myself inside a museum/gallery, how can I benefit from this experience and foremost, what can the mansion get from me in return. So, it was basically just a lot of questions until we were able to break down what I would be doing for the museum and for myself.
I learned what a curator job entails, which is educating and inspiring the public. A collection/object/art piece tells a story and it's up to the curator to make sure it can be easily conveyed to visitors. Inspiring questions and thinking is the main goal.
Behind the scenes a curator is also responsible for marketing and networking with other museums.
The second day, Wednesday, I shadowed the curator on a guided tour of the mansion. She explained the history behind each room but also went into detail about the art work that was decorating each room. I realized that you constantly need to keep up to date with information about each work in order to answer questions correctly. Also, getting over a fear of public speaking is a must for those who work in the forefront of a museum/gallery.
I was given some materials to read about museums and curatorial work to help me better understand what I can do. So I'll be reading the books given to me, along with starting to plan out the project we want to work on.
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