For the 25th consecutive year, the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery of Scripps College will welcome three interns funded by the Getty Foundation through its Multicultural Undergraduate Internship program. The Williamson has participated in the program since the founding of the gallery in 1993, the same year the program was launched.
Initiated in the wake of Los Angeles’ civil unrest in 1992, the Getty Multicultural Undergraduate Internship program seeks to increase diversity within the staffs of museums and visual arts organizations by offering paid internships to students of diverse backgrounds who either live or attend college in Los Angeles County. At Scripps, that mission is carried out in a variety of ways. Depending on their area of focus, interns work on projects connected directly to the college’s large collections, involving intensive hands-on interaction with the artworks themselves. With training by professional art conservators, some interns conserve works at Scripps and at the workshops of art conservators. Others research pieces and write about them for publication. Interns also assist in every aspect of creating an exhibition, from the choice of works to the actual installation of the pieces.
In addition, interns meet professionals in the field. They visit the art meccas of Los Angeles, such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Getty Villa, the Autry, the UCLA Hammer Museum of Art, as well as diverse galleries. On these forays, and at the Williamson, the interns interview curators, art historians, arts administrators, art conservationists, and gallerists. They also get to know other interns in the program, allowing them to network, assist and support one another. Interns find the experience broadens their view of what the field has to offer.
These internships have been decisive in assisting students in finding their own professional paths within the world of art conservation and administration. Williamson Director and Professor of Art History Mary MacNaughton notes, “It is an honor for Scripps to participate in the 25th year of the Getty Foundation’s Multicultural Internship program and a joy to see many intern alumnae in graduate school and building careers in the arts.” Over the years, interns at the Williamson have successfully pursued careers as arts administrators, art conservators, art historians, curators, and gallerists.
More information about the Williamson Gallery’s internship programs can be found at: rcwg.scrippscollege.edu/internships