Panel 33: From Object to Artifact: Internships in Art and Historical Institutions
This presentation will investigate the ways in which material culture is studied from the discovery, acquisition, exhibition, then preservation of art and archival objects. Our panelists embarked on a variety of meaningful and engaging internships across different disciplines, contexts, and regions. Beginning with discovery, one panelist was a student archaeologist who unearthed and analyzed Etruscan artifacts in Tuscany. Progressing to acquisition, another panelist interned at a small Massachusetts auction house specializing in the handling of fine antiques and fine art objects. Moving to exhibition, the third panelist interned at the MHC Art Museum’s curatorial department and worked with historical Chinese objects. Our final panelist explores preservation as an archival assistant for a local historical museum in Maryland handling documents and photographs. Using our internships as case studies, we will present the sequential order of how art and historical works transform from object to artifact.
Moderator: Emily Wood, Assistant Curator
Making History: Interning With Historic Takoma
Coira Williams ’25, Art History major
Alternative Professions within the Arts: Auction Work and Art Appraisal
Sharon Bosco ’26, Art History major, Politics minor
Historical Method and Curatorial Practice: Internship at the MHC Art Museum
Keyang Zhao ’25, History major, Art History minor, Museums, Archives, and Public History Nexus
Doing Dirt: Etruscan Archaeology at Poggio Civitate
Juliette Auslander ’26, Ancient Studies Major & Jewish Studies and Museums, Archives, and Public History Nexus
Speaker name: Keyang
Title: Historical Method and Curatorial Practice: Internship at the MHC Art Museum
My John R. Stomberg Curatorial Internship at the MHC Art Museum was a deeply enriching experience. During the internship, which took place in the 2023-2024 academic year, I worked mainly on researching 12th-century Chinese objects in the collection. This work involved writing research summaries covering a variety of information, including the objects’ histories, cultural significance, and artistic interpretation. The research was undertaken to contribute to the Museum’s existing knowledge and to support its ongoing gallery reinstallation project. Beyond giving me the opportunity to learn more about the broader historical contexts these objects inhabited, the internship has also furthered my understanding of museums in general. Among other things, I learned how museum exhibitions are curated and put together to tell certain stories and present certain historical narratives. Overall, I spent my internship at the Museum embarking on an exciting exploration of material culture, history, and museum practices.
Speaker name: Sharon
Title: Alternative Professions within the Arts: Auction Work and Art Appraisal
This summer I interned at CRN Auctions, a small auction house based in Cambridge, Massachusetts specializing in the sale of fine antiques and art objects, where I acquired valuable skills relevant to my field of interest—art appraisal—and general auction work. Through my presentation, I aim to offer an alternative career for those interested in art related careers outside of museums and galleries to bring light to the often overlooked diversity of professions within the disciplines of Art and Art History. Discussed topics will include the daily tasks and responsibilities expected of an auction house intern, skills useful for and acquired through this position, how to obtain an auction house internship, and how this experience impacted my personal and professional goals. By the end of which, undecided Art and Art History students will hopefully be able to answer the pesky question, “what are you going to do with an Art degree?”
Speaker name: Juliette Auslander
Title: Doing Dirt: Etruscan Archaeology at Poggio Civitate
This summer, I was a student archaeologist working at Poggio Civitate Archaeological Excavations in Italy. I learned different methods of archaeology directly: hands-on in the Tuscan sun and dirt. Also, I cleaned and glued objects back together in the lab, as well as attending weekly lectures about the history of the site and the ancient people. I will go through a typical day I had during my internship, as well as how it informed my career and higher education planning. This internship was the first step in my dream career of archaeology, and I made so many connections that helped inform my graduate school planning. I hope my presentation will inform the audience what archaeology is, its importance to today, and how a classics degree is more than just dead languages.
Speaker name: Coira Williams
Title: Making History: Interning With Historic Takoma
I was an archival assistant for Historic Takoma, a small historical society in Takoma Park, Maryland. Aside from performing the day-to-day duties of maintaining an archive I also travelled to historical sites, catalogued and indexed material, and transcribed interviews. Through this internship I learnt not just the history of Takoma Park, Maryland, but also what makes an archive ‘go’.