Introducing 2026–27 Academic Year Student Interns

With the fall semester already in full swing, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA) is delighted to introduce our cohort of student interns for the 2026–27 academic year. Coming into their roles with rich perspectives and experience, these six students will be instrumental to crafting exhibitions, public programs, and educational experiences.

This year’s Campus Engagement intern will be Evanthia Konnaris ’29, a prospective English and anthropology double major from Limassol, Cyprus. Evanthia comes to the BCMA with a passion for linguistics as well as experience with the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration as a transcription volunteer. In addition to studying English and publishing her own writing in Bowdoin’s literary magazine The Quill, Evanthia speaks Greek, Italian, Japanese, and she is currently learning Finnish. This year, Evanthia will be working closely with Cassandra (Casey) Braun, curator, Anne Cross, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow, and Emily Jacobs, curatorial assistant and manager for student programs. This team will focus on connecting the student body to exhibitions and events at the Museum and even brainstorm new opportunities to bring Evanthia’s peers to the BCMA.

Javier Gallegos ’28, an art history and Hispanic Studies double major from Haltom City, Texas, will be joining the Museum as a curatorial intern this year. Javier spent the past summer as a curatorial intern for the Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Institute for Museum Studies at the Farnsworth Art Museum, working on collections research and object selection for upcoming exhibitions as well as planned gallery rotations. At Bowdoin, Javier has served as a Learning Assistant for introductory art history classes, supporting his peers by notetaking and shepherding group discussions. He has also contributed to the Hispanic Studies department as a Hastings Research Assistant for Languages. Coming to the BCMA, Javier will work alongside Casey Braun in the development of two exhibitions set to open in the spring semester: THE FEAR THAT SUCH THINGS ARE TRUE: New Work by Anna Tsouhlarakis and David Driskell: Heritable Sensibilities. He will continue to hone his curatorial voice by contributing to interpretive gallery text, conducting further artist research, and thinking about how to instruct students in these exhibitions.

Also coming into the Museum as a curatorial intern will be Julia Finke ’28, an economics and art history double major and Spanish minor from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On campus, Julia has served as a Learning Assistant in both the Hispanic Studies and Art History departments. In these roles, she has contributed to lesson plans, handled departmental administrative tasks, and especially supported her fellow students through discussion groups outside of class hours. Julia is also a member of the Bowdoin rowing team, which recently won the gold and the national title at the 2025 American Collegiate Rowing Association championships. During this academic year, Julia will work with Anne Cross on the upcoming exhibition Making and Mending: Grief and Repair in the Atlantic World. With fluency in Spanish (as well as German) and her academic background in Hispanic Studies, Julia will primarily focus her research on contemporary Caribbean artists whose practices contend with histories of colonialism, enslavement, and land dispossession.

Lila Moldenhauer ’29, an economics and art history double major hailing from Englewood, Colorado, is joining the Museum team as a research intern. Before coming to the BCMA, Lila gained experience as a special event sales associate at Karman Inc. and also served as a Morning Show intern at Bonneville International Radio. On campus, she dedicates herself to the varsity tennis team, which had a historic run in 2025 when the group appeared in their first conference finals and reached the quarterfinals stage of the NCAA Division III championships. Finding her passion for art history in a Northern European art course last year, Lila will continue practicing her skills of research and analysis as she works alongside Stephen Perkinson, interim director. Lila will dive into the campus archives and older museum publications as well as conduct oral histories with staff across the College to produce a comprehensive history of the BCMA. The institutional history she is working towards will help both our staff and our visitors better understand this Museum’s place on campus.

During the fall semester, the BCMA will have the chance to work with Emmy Madden ’28, a classics and biology double major from Dallas, Texas. Emmy is well poised to serve as an education intern at the BCMA after holding a similar role at the Kimbell Art Museum this past summer. There, she facilitated gallery discussions informed by pedagogical research and designed educational experiences for diverse groups of learners visiting the Kimbell. Around Bowdoin, Emmy assists at the Organic Garden and is an active member of the Bowdoin Naturalists. She also serves as the pottery studio manager at the Craft Center, where she tries to squeeze in time for her own ceramics and acrylic painting practices. As an education intern at the BCMA, Emmy will work with Emily Jacobs to develop lesson plans and classroom activities for k-12 groups visiting the forthcoming exhibition David Driskell: Heritable Sensibilities. Emmy plans to study abroad in the spring semester—we can’t wait to hear reports from her adventures. 

Ellie Chen ’29, a prospective history and visual arts double major from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, will also be joining the BCMA team as an education intern. As an artist herself, Ellie dedicates time to her painting and drawing practice and believes in art’s ability to foster community and interrogate history. She comes to Bowdoin with experience as a docent at the Chimei Museum, and she also previously undertook a collaborative mural project in the summer of 2024. This initiative brought together members of the indigenous Rukai tribe to create a public art display exploring Taiwanese land justice, underscoring the importance of art in navigating complex topics. Today, Ellie works as the Arts and Entertainment section editor at the Bowdoin Orient, writing many stories about the artistic life of the College. This year, Ellie will work in collaboration with Emily Jacobs and fellow intern Emmy Madden to craft lesson plans and classroom art activities connected to the David Driskell: Heritable Sensibilities show. In addition to this preparatory work, Ellie will also be making visits to Maine K–12 classrooms to develop initiatives related to the David Driskell exhibition.

It has already been a joy to get to know these six students and watch them dive into projects at the BCMA. Their work is integral to fulfilling our mission, and we can’t wait to see the contributions they make this academic year.

Emily Jacobs ’23
Curatorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs