Published April 26, 2017 by Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Congratulations to Graduating Museum Student Assistants

As the academic year comes to a close, the BCMA celebrates and congratulates its five interns who will be graduating in May and beginning their professional careers: Julian Ehrlich, Eliza Graumlich, Laura Griffee, Emma Hamilton, and William Schweller. These five students have been integral members of the Museum staff this year, significantly contributing to the development of its different projects and exhibitions. While their dedication, positive attitudes, and creativity will be missed, we are very proud that the skills and intelligence they have shared with the Museum will be put to use in the next phases of their careers.

Senior museum student assistants
Left to Right: Eliza Graumlich ’17, Julian Ehrlich ’17, Will Schweller ’17, and Emma Hamilton ’17. Absent from photo: Laura Griffee ’17

Julian Ehrlich, an art history major and computer science minor, has been involved with the Museum since his sophomore year at Bowdoin. The BCMA has had the opportunity to work with Julian in many different capacities, on specialized projects and as the leader of several student organizations on campus. His strong commitment to the establishment and nourishment of the arts community on Bowdoin’s campus will continue to be impactful after his graduation. When asked about his experience working at the BCMA, Julian said, “[t]he Museum takes inclusion seriously. In my three years as a student intern, I have been consistently blown away by the premium placed on the exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives, as well as the emphasis on engaging the Bowdoin and Brunswick communities and including them in sometimes challenging arts discourse.” Julian will be joining the staff of Sotheby’s in New York this fall.

Eliza Graumlich, a Hispanic Studies and Latin American Studies double major and an education minor, was a Student Education Assistant this year. Eliza was instrumental in the development of resources for the Assyrian Reliefs, which will be available online, as well as in the galleries. Eliza’s education experience, her commitment to research, and her creative learning strategies have advanced the Family Saturday offerings and have made her interaction with student visitors a joy to watch. This summer, Eliza will join Camp Kawanhee for Boys in Weld, Maine, as the History Museum Intern, and will conduct freelance writing sessions for the Maine Farmland Trust. Following the summer, Eliza will be travelling to Spain to continue her education career as an English teacher in Madrid.

Laura Griffee, a self-designed major in computing and media arts, has been working with the BCMA and the Bowdoin IT Department to digitize collection objects, creating three-dimensional scans of objects to be viewed online or to be printed into three-dimensional replicas. Laura said, “[o]ne of my favorite parts about the work I am doing is its collaborative nature between so many different staff members, including Co-Director Anne Goodyear, Senior Interactive Developer David Francis, Registrar Laura Latman, and Preparator José Ribas. I have loved undertaking the challenge of pioneering this new area for the Museum and finding creative solutions to realize this vision.” Laura’s foundational work and experimentation with this new technology will contribute to the wider accessibility of the Museum’s collections for all audiences. Laura will work as a trip leader for Wilderness Adventures in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this summer, and has an interest in pursuing graphic design, web design, and virtual reality in the future.

Emma Hamilton, an art history and visual art double major with a minor in government, has been involved with the BCMA throughout her Bowdoin career, acting as the Communications Assistant this year. Emma’s creativity and design skills have been central to the BCMA’s public outreach. She has also initiated a number of videos, highlighting intern projects and the Assyrian reliefs. Emma will be moving to New York following graduation, where she will be pursuing a career in architecture.

William Schweller, an art history major and education minor, will be interning at the Digital Art History Lab at the Frick Art Reference Library in New York this summer. As a Student Education Assistant last summer and a Student Assistant to the Curator during the academic year, Will has been working with curator Joachim Homann on research and writing for the catalogue and the exhibition texts for the upcoming exhibition Why Draw?. Will’s involvement with this exhibition—from beginning to end—has been essential to its development.

It has been a pleasure to work with the senior interns this year. The entire BCMA staff wishes them all the best in the next chapters of their careers, and we look forward to continuing our conversations with all of you as alumni. Congratulations on your graduation and thank you for all you have given to the BCMA!