Danielle Siemens, a Carleton art history alumna, is one of 10 individuals selected for an internship at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Siemens’ internship, which is paid, began on Sept. 12 and will end on May 12, 2017.
Her internship is curatorial, and she will be assisting the museum’s department of photographs with organizing and researching an upcoming exhibition about women photographers from 1920-1940.
“It’s a full time job . . . I basically help with anything to do with exhibitions and with collection management, cataloguing works of art, which is really exciting,” she said. “I got art handling training and . . . when we access a new work, I get to sort of look at them and analyze them and use the computer system and catalogue them . . . right now I’m drafting some bios for an upcoming exhibition. I also do some sort of adaptive editing work in terms of just making sure catalogues are ready for publication.”
According to Mattie Schloetzer, the NGA’s program administrator for internships and fellowships, the internship selection committee looked for candidates who clearly articulated what the internship program would mean to them.
“We want to be sure that the person is going to gain something from the internship, so if somebody had already been a student at a university in Texas and been great about getting experience at galleries or the university museum at their institution, then it would be nice to bring somebody like that,” Schloetzer said. “There’s a good reason why that person could learn something from coming here, instead of just giving an opportunity to somebody who’s already been to a similar museum that already had a very similar experience.”
Siemens said she thought she was offered the internship because her lack of experience gave her an opportunity to learn a lot during her time at the museum, and she was also a team player.
“They wanted someone who was willing to come in and kind of do anything and learn all the facets and what they do in that department, and they didn’t want someone who wanted to come in and just be sort of solo and do their own research and go to the library . . . I think I communicated to them that I was really looking for an experience where I got to build on my research and learning skills, but also really be able to take part in a team and collaborate.”
Siemens, a 26-year-old Edmonton native, received her undergraduate art history degree from the University of Alberta, took a year off school, and then attended Carleton for her masters degree.
She was also the recipient of the $15,000 Sir James Lougheed Award of Distinction from the government of Alberta, an award that supports Albertans studying outside of the province.
Siemens also completed a practicum at the National Gallery of Canada prior to receiving the internship.
Schloetzer said she hoped interns leave the museum with a better idea of how museums function, and use that knowledge in the future.
“Whether or not an intern or fellow decides to work in a museum, the person has gained a much better understanding and appreciation for museum work,” she said. “That will be rewarded later on because the person will be working in a university, and be better equipped to teach and encourage his or her students to get experience in a museum, or to use a museum with teaching.”
Siemens said she doesn’t have any surefire plans for when she finishes the internship, but would like to continue working in museums.
“I think that I will likely go back to school to keep pursuing art history; that will probably two years from now; but I’m hoping to continue to work in a museum or gallery setting for sure.”
