Thank you to our Seven BCMA Summer Interns and Research Fellow

Along with our reopening to the public in July, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art also welcomed seven student interns this summer—three Assistants to the Curator, one Digital Media Assistant, two Shop and Education Assistants, and one Research Fellow. The students’ enthusiasm and dedication have been invaluable, and we are appreciative of their contributions to the Museum’s current and upcoming projects.

The three student Assistants to the Curator this summer were Cameron Snow ’22, Lily Weafer ’23, and Katie King ’23.

Cameron Snow, a Visual Arts major and Chinese minor from Winchester, Massachusetts, worked with Co-Director Anne Collins Goodyear on multiple curatorial projects. His first project involved supporting an upcoming exhibition of drawings by the artist William T. Williams, researching Williams’s works on paper and gathering information about his artistic process. Cameron also worked closely with photographer Jona Frank in preparation for her forthcoming exhibition and cited direct communication with the artist as a personal highlight this summer. Reflecting on his work at the Museum, Cameron stated: “Learning about photography was the most rewarding experience this past summer. I had limited myself to drawing and painting and didn't expect to find a different medium so captivating.”  

Lily Weafer is a Visual Arts major and potential Religion minor from Bethel, Maine. Lily worked with Co-Director Frank Goodyear to curate an upcoming exhibition on pastels from the Museum’s permanent collection, which will feature works by artists such as John Singleton Copley, Mary Cassatt, Edda Renouf, and Robert Arneson. She also researched and drafted labels for William Wiley’s recently-acquired photographs of Pompeii, inspired by and coinciding with her longstanding interests in photography. In addition to her curatorial contributions, Lily conducted in-depth data analysis on Museum acquisitions from the past twenty years, examining information on artists and artworks represented. Her research will help the Museum’s commitment to continuously broaden the global scope of our collection and support and serve a diverse community.

Katie King, an Anthropology major and Government and Legal Studies minor from Orono, Maine, was involved with the Zorach House Project this summer under the supervision of Anne Collins Goodyear. Katie collaborated with art historian Rebecca Zorach to begin the process of creating a house museum in honor of artists William and Marguerite Zorach. During her weekly visits to Georgetown, Maine, Katie conducted extensive oral history interviews with different members of the Zorach family. Besides developing bibliographies and biographies, she also consulted with professionals from other house museums as part of her research. Katie noted: “I was able to find small anecdotes and stories which brought the artists to life in a way that exhibitions and scholarly books are unable to.”

We are equally grateful for the work carried out by our two Education and Shop Assistants, Amira Oguntoyinbo ’24 and Thais Carrillo ’23.

Amira Oguntoyinbo, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, intends to double major in Digital and Computational Studies and Art History. Amira worked closely with both Elizabeth Humphrey and Sabrina Lin this summer to develop educational resources for families and school-age visitors, including an interactive activity on vernacular photography, as well as a booklet for the upcoming exhibition There Is a Woman in Every Color: Black Women in Art. Reflecting on the importance of museum education, Amira commented: “I really had the task of thinking about how to address these very nuanced topics of race, gender, and art for younger audiences.”

Thais Carrillo, a double major in Education and Psychology, likewise engaged with the collection by conducting independent research on artists with disability within the Museum’s collection. She also delved into an upcoming exhibition of Oceanic art by examining the history of the Annexation of Hawaii. From designing multiple activity guides to hosting virtual Family Saturdays, Amira and Thais have been instrumental in making the Museum accessible to our younger viewers. Additionally, they both worked with Liza Nelson in the Museum’s gift shop and extended warm welcomes to our visitors this summer.  

The Digital Media Assistant, Cheng Xing ’23, assisted Sean P. Burrus, Interim Curator and Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow, with imaging and digitization efforts of the collection this summer. From Beijing, China, Cheng is a Computer Science and Math double major with a minor in Economics. With a strong background in photography and IT operations, Cheng has applied his expertise to high-resolution imaging, photogrammetry, 3D scanning and modelling of hundreds of objects as well as producing various videos for the Museum. Cheng has played a crucial role in developing the Museum’s digital assets and providing greater access to the BCMA collection for future curatorial and curricular use.

Also included in our intern cohort was Darien Gillespie '24, who received a Research Fellowship in Ancient Mediterranean Studies. Darien is a Brunswick native hoping to pursue a double major in Classics and Computer Science. Working jointly with Associate Professor of Classics Robert Sobak and Sean Burrus this summer, Darien’s research provided historical contextualization on the study of Classics at Bowdoin. His detailed chronology, which spans the entire history of the College, will accompany Sean’s upcoming Antiquities exhibition. Speaking about his experience this summer, Darien stated: “This summer has been a fascinating experience that I've never done anything like. To be able to work with texts that were handwritten by people nearly 200 years ago that directly affect how my education is structured today has been astounding.”

The students have been incredible additions to the Museum’s team this summer, and we are thankful for their excellent work in educational programming, curatorial research, visitor services, and digital innovations. We look forward to welcoming them back into the Museum very soon, along with the rest of the Bowdoin community, as we enter the new academic year.

 

Sabrina Lin ’21
Curatorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs