Today is a sad day

It is a sad thing to leave an internship that has been so meaningful, educational, and regularly amazing! Today was my last day at UT Southwestern Medical Center working with the Art Curator, Courtney Crothers. Even today we catalogued many Indonesian textiles, contemporary American drawings and paintings, prints, and photos. The collection is huge! After a pleasant exit lunch celebration, we continued combing through old files in order to merge information. That part of the job has felt like a treasure hunt in an art collector's attic and has been very rewarding for me. Gleaning information about methods of shipping, storing, preparing and exhibiting art took my mind by surprise on occasion as I sifted through invoices, letters from donors, construction drawings for pedestals, and so much more.

The bits and pieces of software technique I learned through working with the Excel database and other technology have helped me to grow in my abilities but also have made me realize how much there is still to learn. (Perhaps next summer I'll take some software classes at the community college.)

This experience has helped me to focus on the types of activities that would be possible for me in the world of art. Collections management is calling out my name! Art handling would be very exciting, but can be physically exhausting and difficult, so I would want to look into handling drawings and prints as opposed to paintings or textiles encased in heavy plexiglas cases! Organizing special events for not only children but the adult population -- classes, tours, and lectures -- seems to be a focus that needs more attention in the general museum arena. Once again (I wrote a paper about art therapy in an undergraduate class), I've realized how intertwined art and healing can be and am wondering what opportunities are in that area of museum work.

One huge regret is that I did not take more photos. When we were on campus, I either had a laptop or a tape measure in my hand. Besides, we were not leisurely touring the buildings; we were riveted on completing the work without disturbing staff or patients (not an easy task!). There was much to be done in one summer session.

In closing, I will reiterate that my drive home from Dallas (that's one part I will not miss) was full of sad thoughts about not being involved in the work anymore but also amazed reflections about the entire intern experience!