Posts Tagged 'McDermott Interns'

Next Entries »

Friday Photos: Insta Interns

Published October 4, 2013 Friday Photos , Museum Insight , People Closed
Tags: , , , , , ,

This week marks the completion of the first month of the McDermott Internship Program–and quite an exciting month it has been! For most of us, this month has involved moving, exploring a new city, meeting new friends and, most importantly, starting a new job. With the first month drawing to a close, I thought it was only appropriate to look back at this amazing, whirlwind month and share some of our fun “behind-the-scenes” photos. So, let’s begin the Insta Intern Tour: Our First 30 days as McDermott Interns as seen via Instagram.

IMG_1241

Our first day at the DMA was September 3, which primarily served as an orientation day. We enjoyed coffee and bagels as we filled out our employment paperwork, took photographs for our employee badges and learned the basics of navigating our way around the building. The highlight of the day, however, was the trip to the so-called Intern Pit. Most of the interns have a desk in this office area and we were excited to discover that our official plaques had already found their home!

IMG_1249

Later that week, we took the DMA’s Artist Personality Quiz to discover our DMA Art Doppelganger. The quiz provided a fun introduction to the DMA’s collection and we all found that it was extremely accurate in it’s suggestions! Personally, I was very happy to identify myself as a Claude Monet 🙂

 Nature or Abundance

As McDermott Interns, we have had the privilege of touring the collections with our wonderful curators. These tours have helped us learn more about the different collection areas, the history of collecting at the DMA, and the curator’s considerations when they are designing the layouts for the galleries. Nature or Abundance by Leon Frederic immediately caught my eye during our tour of the European Galleries on Level 2.

IMG_1295

On September 10th, we took our first off-site intern tour to the Sixth Floor Museum. The collection was very informative and engaging and helped to provide contextual information for Hotel Texas: An Art Exhibition for the President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy. As many of us are from out-of-state, it was interesting to learn about this piece of Dallas’ history and the continuing impact of President John F. Kennedy’s legacy today.

IMG_1303

One of our favorite lunch spots is the DMA’s Sculpture Garden. Its light shade, beautiful sculptures and soothing waterfalls provide the perfect break from the office.

IMG_1314

A few weeks in, my desk was finally beginning to look lived-in! It is now decorated with exhibition catalogues, postcards from my travels, an homage to my alma mater, plenty of coffee mugs, and a welcome poster from the FAST Education Team.

IMG_1349

Recently, we received a behind-the-scenes tour of the DMA’s enormous art storage. Registrar Anne Lenhart guided us through the various spaces and pulled out a few of our favorite pieces so we could take a closer look! Here we are viewing Arkadia’s Last Resort by Jess.

IMG_1344

Many of the interns have been very active in the DMA Friends program, earning credit for attending Gallery Talks, Lectures, Late Nights, and other events around the Museum. We recently traded-in our Friends points for DMA catalogues!

GVG

As the McDermott Intern for Gallery and Community teaching, I am responsible for driving the swanky Go Van Gogh van to participant elementary schools throughout Northwest Texas. The Go Van Gogh program brings the DMA collections out into the community and allows children to learn about and create their own art! See you on the road!

Warehouse2

IMG_1379

Warehouse4

The three photographs above document our off-site field trip to The Warehouse. This amazing gallery space houses a stunning collection of contemporary art, approximately 1/3 of which is co-owned by the DMA! The current exhibition is titled Parallel View: Italian and Japanese Art from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

Warehouse3

And this is what happens when interns receive baked treats. Thank you to all DMA employees for making us feel welcome!

Artworks Shown:

  • Léon Frédéric, Nature or Abundance (detail), 1897, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, Mrs. John B. O’Hara Fund
  • Jess, Arkadia’s Last Resort; or, Fête Champêtre Up Mnemosyne Creek (detail), 1976, Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund

Hayley Prihoda
McDermott Intern for Gallery and Community Teaching

Meet the New McDermott Interns!

Published September 12, 2013 People Closed
Tags: ,

September brings the beginning of the new school year, (somewhat) cooler weather, and–most exciting of all–the new batch of McDermott Interns! As part of the Education and Curatorial Divisions, the McDermott Interns gain valuable experience while exploring museum work here at the DMA. The Education division is happy to introduce three fresh new faces to our blog-o-sphere: Amy Elms, McDermott Education Intern for Visitor Engagement; Hayley Prihoda, McDermott Education Intern for Gallery and Community Teaching; and Amelia Wood, McDermott Education Intern for Family and Access Teaching.  These lovely ladies will be writing many posts throughout the coming year so we wanted to give them a fitting introduction!

Amy Elms
McDermott Education Intern for Visitor Engagement

amy

I earned a BS in Communication Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.Ed. in Culture & Curriculum focusing on Art Education & Visual Culture from Texas A&M University. Besides interning at the Austin Children’s Museum and Artpace San Antonio, I spent the past two years regularly volunteering with the Harry Ransom Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus. I love to explore the outdoors, especially hiking and swimming. I have a newly discovered love of stand-up paddle boarding, and want to take a rock climbing class in the future!

Which area of the DMA’s collection are you most excited about exploring? 

Cornelis Saftleven, College of Animals, 1655

The DMA’s Asian art collection dates all the way back to the 2nd century and I am amazed by the intricate details that are still so evident in each work of art, whether it’s a sculpture or a woodblock print. While exploring the museum’s galleries recently, I also came across Cornelis Saftleven’s College of Animals and loved the humor and symbolism of the painting. I want to learn more about the meaning behind each one of the animals represented in Saftleven’s work.

Which program or area of the Museum are you most interested in learning about? 

I’m definitely excited to learn more about the Center for Creative Connections since this learning environment will be the focus of my internship. I’m a huge supporter of museums that create innovative, interactive programs to encourage visitors to become more connected with exhibition materials. C3 offers programs and activities to people of all ages and explores ways of using technology to create a more immersive, memorable experience for visitors.

What features of Dallas do you want to experience during your time here?

Besides exploring all of the museums that DFW has to offer, I also really want to visit the Dallas World Aquarium and the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden, I’ve heard that both places are a must-see during my time here!

Hayley Prihoda
McDermott Education Intern for Gallery and Community Teaching

Hayley

I was raised in Cary, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. My mom was a stay-at-home mom when I was growing up and persistently, even sometimes to my sister’s and my dismay, brought us to museums, art galleries, musicals, and cultural events. At the time, I didn’t know how much this early exposure to the art world was going to direct my future interests and career aspirations. In the spring of 2012, I studied abroad in London and had the amazing opportunity to intern at the Royal Academy of Arts. After this experience, my aspiration to work in an art museum was solidified. I graduated from Indiana University with a BA in history and minor in art history this past May and spent the last two months as an intern at the National Gallery of Art.

Léon Frédéric, Nature or Abundance, 1897

Which area of the DMA’s collection are you most excited about exploring? 

I am very excited to spend time with the European and American art collections. One of the pieces that first caught my eye in the collection was Léon Frédéric’s Nature or Abundance. I like the colors and intricate details of the work but, most of all, I like the implications of this piece as a statement on the industrialization of the late 19th century. I really enjoy placing works of art in their historical context and using this background as a platform for studying the piece.

Which program or area of the Museum are you most interested in learning about? 

I am very excited to work with the docent program this year. Having spent only one day with the docents thus far, I am already inspired by their passion for the DMA and the pride and enthusiasm they have for their position. I just hope that I can teach them as much as I know they will teach me!

What features of Dallas do you want to experience during your time here?

Being brand-new to Texas, I am really looking forward to embracing all that this area has to offer! Fall is my favorite season and I have heard that October is an especially fun month in Dallas, so I hope to attend the Lamar Street Festival, The Aurora Project, and Index Fest 2, all in the same weekend!  And I am also hoping to fit in a Dallas Cowboys game and a trip to the Texas State Fair! I feel very grateful to have landed this position at the Dallas Museum of Art and greatly look forward to what the next 9 months have in store!

Amelia Wood
McDermott Education Intern for Family and Access Teaching

amelia

I grew up in North Adams, a small town tucked away in the valleys of western Massachusetts. The opening of Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in 1999 not only transformed my hometown but sparked my interest in arts education. I graduated from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with a BA in Fine and Performing Arts in 2006. After college, I embarked on a career in early childhood education in Burlington, VT, where I took part in the Vermont Child Care Apprenticeship Program. I returned home in 2010 and continued my work in early learning as a toddler teacher at the Williams College Children’s Center. During my final year at the children’s center, I designed a bridge program that organized visits for the center’s preschool and school age children to the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA). In 2012, I joined the fantastic team at WCMA as the Coordinator of Education Programs and found my calling.

Which area of the DMA’s collection are you most excited about exploring? 

Jess, Arkadia’s Last Resort; or, Fête Champêtre Up Mnemosyne Creek, 1976

I’ve recently gotten back into collaging, so I am most excited by the collage and assemblage artists in the DMA’s contemporary art collection. I’d be thrilled to spend some time with any of the works by Joseph Cornell, Louise Nevelson, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jean Tinguely. And I was  psyched to discover that the DMA owns Arkadia’s Last Resort; or, Fête Champêtre Up Mnemosyne Creek by Jess, who is one of my recent artist inspirations.

Which program or area of the Museum are you most interested in learning about?

During my internship, I’m looking forward to working with children of all ages in the Museum’s early learning classes, family and access events, and Late Night programs. I’m also interested in working with the Go van Gogh school and outreach program, as well as the hands on art-making experiences offered in C3.

What features of Dallas do you want to experience during your time here?

Because I’m new to Dallas–and to city life in general–I’ve enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of my new home. The Dallas Arts District is an area of interest to me and I look forward to delving into Dallas’ vast arts community in the coming months. I’m also an avid runner, and am training for the Dallas Marathon in December, so I look forward to exploring the downtown area during my long runs.

Special thanks to Amy, Hayley and Amelia for the illuminating information. Keep an eye out for all the great posts and programs these ladies will be sharing with us throughout the year!

Artworks shown:

  • Cornelis Saftleven, College of Animals, 1655,  Dallas Museum of Art, The Karl and Esther Hoblitzelle Collection, gift of the Hoblitzelle Foundation
  • Léon Frédéric, Nature or Abundance, 1897, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, Mrs. John B. O’Hara Fund
  • Jess, Arkadia’s Last Resort; or, Fête Champêtre Up Mnemosyne Creek, 1976, Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund

Danielle Schulz
Teaching Specialist

Friday Photos: A Fond Farewell!

Published May 24, 2013 Friday Photos Closed
Tags:

Today we bid adieu to our wonderful 2012-2013 McDermott Interns. They have spent the last nine months with us at the DMA researching artworks, contributing to exhibitions, assisting with programs, and generally helping to make our Museum a dynamic and engaging place to experience art. We appreciate all the hard work they’ve done–we couldn’t do it without them!

Take a look at some of the adventures they had along the way and join us in wishing them well as they embark on new ones!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives

Over and Out

Published May 23, 2013 Museum Insight , People 1 Comment
Tags: , , , , ,

Today is the last day at the Dallas Museum of Art for the 2012-2013 McDermott Interns. Pilar and I have had a great time working together for the Family, Access, and School Experiences team and writing for Canvas. We will miss the DMA and wanted to reflect on our time here.

Pilar celebrates her birthday at the DMA!

Pilar celebrates her birthday at the DMA!

3 things I learned at the DMA:

  1. I have learned that elementary school girls are obsessed with One Direction! In spending lots of time teaching our Go van Gogh outreach programs, I’ve gained quite an insight as to what’s cool these days (hint, it’s not me).
  2. While I am a McDermott education intern, there are also four McDermott curatorial interns with whom we share office space. I have learned so much about the curatorial side of the museum field through daily interactions with these awesome future curators!
  3. I have had the amazing opportunity to learn how to teach in a formal classroom setting through Go van Gogh. This experience has allowed me to understand the differences in practice between formal and informal instruction styles.

Favorite part of the internship:

I was able to develop a new Go van Gogh curriculum that is based on American History as told by DMA artworks. I not only learned a ton about the editing and review process that takes place at a large institution, but I also had a great refresher course on American history!

Post-internship plans:

I will be doing lots of travelling this summer: Colorado, New Mexico, Amsterdam, the south of France, and Spain! After which, I’ll end up in Vancouver where I will be starting in the Master of Museum Education program at the University of British Columbia.

Pilar Wong
McDermott Intern for Community Teaching

Alex bids farewell from Emery Reves' study

Alex bids farewell from Emery Reves’ study

3 things I learned at the DMA:

  1. I’ve really enjoyed working with our docent corps of about 100 volunteers. They are an enthusiastic, intelligent, generous bunch. I’ve learned a great deal from the DMA docents, and I will miss working with them.
  2. As the Gallery Teaching Intern, I toured mainly with elementary school students. That age group consistently offered refreshing interpretations of works of art, and their enthusiasm and frankness is something to which more adults, myself included, should aspire.
  3. I’ve definitely learned the importance of flexibility and openness. Some of the best experiences I’ve had have resulted from spontaneous changes – whether filling in last-minute for a docent or allowing visitors to choose what they want to see and discuss.

Favorite part of the internship:

I loved writing docent guides. These guides help introduce the docents to special exhibitions and the DMA’s permanent collection. They offer art historical and contextual information, as well as ways to interpret these shows for a variety of audiences. It combines my interest in research and art history with my passion for education.

Post-internship plans:

I’ll be sticking around Dallas for June and July. Then I will embark on my version of The Great American Roadtrip as I head back to the east coast. In the fall I will begin the Arts in Education master’s program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Alex Vargo
McDermott Intern for Gallery Teaching

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this experience so fulfilling. Have a great summer!

Sincerely,
2012-2013 McDermott Interns

Tis the Season

Published December 14, 2012 Friday Photos 1 Comment
Tags: , ,

Last night we raised a glass in honor of our hardworking interns at our annual McDermott Intern Holiday Party. The festivities included holiday crackers, complete with some fancy headwear which they donned in front of the tree.

20121213_193135

We hope the holidays will find you just as merry and bright!

Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives

Fresh New Faces

Published September 13, 2012 People Closed
Tags: ,

Our Museum offices are abuzz with a group of new McDermott Interns, who began working with our Curatorial and Education Divisions last week. Two new faces who will be blogging with us over the next nine months are Alex Vargo, McDermott Education Intern for Gallery Teaching, and Pilar Wong, McDermott Education Intern for Community Teaching. In addition to the blog, they will also contribute their talent to our docent and tour programs, teacher programs, and Go van Go outreach.

Welcome to the DMA ladies! Why don’t you share with us a bit of your background.

Alex exploring Big Bend National Park

Pilar on the Mediterranean coast in Split, Croatia

Alex: I graduated in 2011 from Oberlin College in Ohio, where I studied Art History. I’m originally from a suburb of Philadelphia, where, in high school, I rowed out of boathouse row by the art museum and, yes, ran the famous Rocky steps. After college, I returned to Philly, where I worked in the Family Programs Departments of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation. Before this internship, I had never been to Dallas, but I’m not totally new to Texas. I had been living in Marfa since February working at the Chinati Foundation. This is my first time living in a Texas city and I’m excited to explore more of the state!

Pilar: I was raised throughout the beautiful southwest in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado—Texas is the farthest east I’ve ever lived! I received my BA from Stanford University in Comparative Studies of Race and Ethnicity with a minor in Education. During my time at Stanford, I worked at the Cantor Arts Center which hosts the 2nd largest collection of Rodin sculptures in the world! After moving to Dallas, I volunteered at the Dallas Holocaust Museum and worked at the Dallas Heritage Village.

Now that you’ve been introduced to our collection, which artwork would be your BFF and why?

Alex: Donald Judd’s Untitled (1988). Coming from Marfa, where Judd lived and worked when he wasn’t in New York, I feel like we are old friends.

Pilar: I absolutely love Maurice de Vlaminck’s Bougival.  The vivid colors make me smile every time I see it, but the depth of the painting ensures that I would never get tired of seeing it day after day and imagining myself in the landscape.

If you could spend the night in one of our galleries, which one would you choose?

Alex: If I could spend the night in a gallery and I could touch the works of art, I would love to be on level 4 in the Form/Unformed: Design from 1960 to the Present show. The Fernando and Humberto Campana Banquete Chair with Pandas calls to me!

Pilar: I would definitely want to spend the night on level 4 with American Decorative Arts so I could test out the fantastic four-poster bed from the 1840’s!

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Alex: Tripe. I love pho!

Pilar: I attended the State Fair of Texas last year and tried several deep fried treats including bubblegum, lemonade, beer, cheese curds, and pickles. I’m looking forward to this year’s offerings!

You might see these lovely ladies around the next time you visit the Museum or one of our programs, so be sure to give them a warm Texas welcome!

Artworks shown:

  • Donald Judd, Untitled, 1988, Dallas Museum of Art, Museum League Purchase Fund, General Acquisitions Fund, H. Harold Wineburgh Fund and gift of an anonymous donor
  • Maurice de Vlaminck, Bougival, c. 1905, Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection
  • Fernando Campana and Humberto Campana, Banquete chair with pandas, designed 2006, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA/amfAR Benefit
  • Crawford Riddell, Bed, c. 1844, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of three anonymous donors, Friends of the Decorative Arts Fund, General Acquisitions Fund, Discretionary Decorative Arts Fund, and the Boshell Family Foundation

Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives

Help Wanted: Looking for a Few Good Interns

Published February 2, 2012 Museum Insight 1 Comment
Tags: , , , ,

With all the amazing experiences you can have at the DMA, what could be better than learning about our work firsthand? Each September, DMA staff welcome a new class of McDermott Interns through the McDermott Internship Program. And thanks to the generous support of the Eugene McDermott Education Fund, we are even able to provide our fabulous interns with a stipend.

Although I may be a bit biased (I was a McDermott Intern last year), McDermott Interns truly are a vital part of the DMA. We couldn’t survive without them! Throughout their short nine-month stint at the Museum, they contribute to various projects, from exhibitions to tours to programming and beyond. We even make sure our interns get to experience other arts organizations around the Metroplex. It’s a smorgasbord of museum opportunities!

Two of the lucky interns from this year’s class are our very own Hannah and Jessica, who have blogged about some of there experiences with you here. I asked them a couple questions to get their perspective on being a McDermott Intern:

What has been your favorite part of the McDermott Internship so far?

Hannah: Definitely teaching. I love going into classrooms and interacting with the students; their energy, enthusiasm and curiosity is contagious. They are constantly reminding me why I am so passionate about art and teaching. I also really enjoy going to docent training lectures and discussions, because it gives me the opportunity to keep learning.

Hannah (center right) with local teachers during the Art and Fashion Teacher Workshop.

Jessica: My favorite part of being a McDermott Intern is being able to work with some of the friendliest and most dedicated people I have ever met. I have also really enjoyed learning about the DMA’s collection and fantastic exhibitions, and then passing on that exciting knowledge when giving tours.  It is so rewarding to know that you made someone’s trip to the Museum memorable!

In your opinion, what is one reason why someone should apply to be a McDermott Intern?

Hannah: One thing that is really unique about being a McDermott intern is that you get the chance to work really closely with one department, while also getting opportunities to collaborate and interact with the entire staff of the Museum. With guidance and support, you have many responsibilities within the department you are working for, and your days are filled with diverse tasks, activities and programs. No two days are the same!

Jessica: One word: EXPERIENCE! The staff at the DMA will ensure that you are given every opportunity to learn about the inner workings of so many different departments within the Museum. The DMA really values McDermott Interns as professional coworkers, not just as extra help. It is that kind of attitude that really makes being a McDermott Intern a wonderfully fulfilling experience.

If you or someone you know is interested in exploring a museum career, check out our Museum Internships page, which includes more information and a link to the 2012-2013 McDermott Internship application form. We look forward to your submissions!

Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives

Intern Project: Introduction to Me & My World

Published January 11, 2012 Art & Teaching 4 Comments
Tags: , , , ,

Me & My World is an hour-long education program for first graders. We offer it as a docent-guided tour as well as a Go van Gogh classroom experience. Both programs introduce students to artwork in our collection with:

Both programs give the first-graders an opportunity to create artwork to take home with them at the end of the museum visit or school day. The overall goal is to assist the students in looking carefully at various works of art and making personal connections to them.  Because the settings are different (Museum galleries vs. school classroom) the experiences with works of art vary. Here is an example for Mary Cassatt’s Sleepy Baby from Go van Gogh:

Sleepy Baby, Mary Cassatt c. 1910, pastel on paper, Dallas Museum of Art, Munger Fund

Clues: a piece of a pink blanket, a pacifier, and the arm gesture of rocking a baby

After a conversation about the mother and baby (“Have you ever held a baby? Do you have a baby brother or sister at home? Have you ever sat on someone’s lap? How did it feel?”) a brief poem is read aloud to the class:

Human Pillow
By Sondra Falck

A sleepy head lay yawning,
Quietly on my chest,
His little legs were tired,
Needing a bit of rest.

Little boy, face filled with dreams,
Of all he planned to do,
Games to play and trees to climb,
Before this day was through.

 Busy dreamer, sound asleep,
Had to find the softest lap,
To be his human pillow,
So he could take a nap.

As a class, we discuss connections between the poem and the work of art. Then, we create a poem of our own, by asking the students to finish the sentence “Babies are ___”. When completed, it will look something like this: 

Babies are _soft_.
Babies are ­­­_sweet_.
Babies are _loud_.
Babies are _smelly_.
Babies are _squishy_.
Babies are _sleepy_.

Here is an example of Romare Beardon’s Soul Three from the Docent Tour:

Soul Three, Romare Bearden, 1968, paper and fabric collage on board, Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund and Roberta Coke Camp Fund

Soul Three, Romare Bearden, 1968, paper and fabric collage on board, Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund and Roberta Coke Camp Fund

 

Clues: Detail of cloth from the collage, a foot tapping, and a tambourine

There are two themes that can be brought up during this conversation: one highlights what the students see in the painting (patterns, shapes, colors, figures) and the other explores the relationship of the people and the activity that they are participating in.

After this conversation, the students are encouraged to create a story about these three friends by considering the following prompts:

  • Give each of the gentlemen and the lady a name.
  • How did they meet each other?
  • What kind of music do they like to play?
  • Where are they playing their music?
  • Who is listening to them play? Are there other people around?
  • What happens when they stop playing their music?

The activity encourages the students to pose like one of the figures in the work of art and then choose one part of their body to move when the docent claps out a rhythm. Since we love working with children of all ages, we have decided to revise both of the Me &  My World programs as our McDermott Intern Project. We are still in the brainstorming stage, and we would love your help!

What are some of your favorite works of art from the DMA collection to use with young visitors? Has our collection inspired any fun activites that you use with your students? Tell us in the comments!

Jessica Kennedy & Hannah Burney
McDermott Interns for Teaching Programs and Partnerships

Friday Photos: Jumping in Fort Worth Museums

Published December 16, 2011 Friday Photos 4 Comments
Tags: , , , , , ,

Last Friday, our McDermott Interns took their annual trip to Fort Worth to get acquainted with our neighboring art institutions and explore all the wonderful exhibitions they currently have on view. We enjoyed John Marin at the Carter, Caravaggio at the Kimbell, and said hello to the DMA’s own Diebenkorn at The Modern. It was an exhausting artful day!

Inspired by our previous post and Jumping in Art Museums, we decided to do a little jumping of our own in Fort Worth. Enjoy!

In front of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art

In front of the Kimbell Art Museum

In front of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives

The New Kids on the Block

Published September 15, 2011 Museum Insight , People 15 Comments
Tags: , ,

No, not the eighties boy band…last week, a group of fresh faces joined DMA staff – the new class of McDermott Interns. I am delighted to introduce you to Hannah Burney, McDermott Intern for Community Teaching, and Jessica Kennedy, McDermott Intern for Gallery Teaching. Hannah received her B.A. in the History of Art and Visual Culture from the University of California in Santa Cruz and completed a year-long internship in the education department at the de Young Museum in San Francisco before coming to the DMA. Jessica holds both an M.A. in History with a concentration in Museum Studies and a B.A. in Art History from the University of Missouri in St. Louis. She also served as Interpretive Assistant in the Educational Media Department at the St. Louis Art Museum.

Hannah Burney, McDermott Intern for Community Teaching

Jessica Kennedy, McDermott Intern for Gallery Teaching

Hannah will work primarily with Go van Gogh and community programs, and Jessica will focus on docent and gallery teaching programs. Both interns will also participate in other areas of our department, such as Programs for Teachers, as well as contribute to DMA Educator Blog. We are so excited to have them with us for the next nine months, and hope that you will have the opportunity to meet and work with them during their time here as well.

Neither of you are Dallas natives. What do you most look forward to about living in Texas?

Hannah: Being a huge fan of food, I am very excited about the famous Texas BBQ, steak, and Tex-Mex. I also look forward to all the cultural experiences Texas has to offer that can’t be found on the West Coast, including the State Fair, a fried foods institution (where, I am told, the “corny dog” was first introduced), and hoedowns, where I hope to partake in two-stepping, line dancing, Texas swing, and the like. But, what I most enjoy about Texas is all the warm and welcoming southern hospitality.

Jessica: The thing that I most look forward to when visiting any new city is discovering local restaurants and cuisine. I love trying food that is unfamiliar to me as well as finding new versions of old favorites. I am especially eager to explore the various types of BBQ and Tex-Mex offerings specific to the DFW area.

How do you spend your free time?

Hannah: I consider myself a bit of a foodie, and love trying new foods or enjoying old favorites. Apart from dining, I love being outdoors: going for a walk, a swim, a hike, kayak trip or adventure of any kind. So, once the weather starts to cooperate, I am looking forward to exploring the Katy Trail. In the meantime, I’ve been very much taking advantage of my new pool, something I never had in San Francisco! If I have a bit of extended free time, traveling is what I most love to do.

Hannah hangs from a zip line in Mexico

Jessica: I enjoy reading, trying new recipes, taking photos (although not as often as I would like), and hanging out with friends and family. Also, I have spent a bit of time traveling around the country to accompany my husband with his lifelong goal of seeing a baseball game played in every major league stadium in America. We have eight down and twenty-three to go!

Jessica and her husband made sure to check Rangers Ballpark off of the list!

Describe your first week at the DMA.

Hannah: The incredibly friendly, patient and endlessly knowledgeable staff have really eased me into my first week. From learning security policies to activity prep procedures, I have had not just  one, but many helpful hands leading the way. Besides getting to know the wonderful staff and learning the nitty-gritties of the position, I have most enjoyed spending time in the galleries exploring the vast comprehensive collection here.

Jessica: Amazing! Everyone on staff has been so welcoming and encouraging. Our schedule was packed full of introductions and training sessions, which seemed daunting at first, but it really showed me just how much the DMA values its employees. Despite the fact that it is very easy for me to get lost in the halls and galleries (my directional skills aren’t that great), in a few short days, I felt completely at home within this Museum!

What aspect(s) of your internship are you most excited to begin?

Hannah: The other interns and I discussed why some of us chose to pursue a path towards education versus curatorial work in the Museum. And we light-heartedly agreed that it was dependent upon whether you are primarily a people person or a book person. As a people person, I am most excited to begin working with the many diverse groups of people both inside and outside of the Museum. I feel very lucky to have the unique opportunity to work with docents, volunteers, students, and teachers throughout the next year.

Jessica: One of the things that I am most excited about is really learning and exploring the DMA’s collection with student groups that come to visit. I love the enthusiasm and imagination that they bring when viewing works of art. I am also looking forward to working with and learning from the wonderful education staff!

Melissa Nelson
Manager of Teaching in the Community

Archives

Flickr Photo Stream

O'Keeffe may be her name, but this artist's work has been long eclipsed by that of her famous sister. Now #IdaOKeeffe's distinct creative identity is getting the spotlight it deserves in "Ida O'Keeffe: Escaping Georgia's Shadow". Opening TODAY, discover uA remarkable performance by @dallasblackdance in our American Art Gallery with choreography inspired by artist Dorothy Austin’s “Slow Shuffle”. See more #DMANights highlights in our story! . . #MyDMA #DallasMuseumofArt #AmericanArt #Dance #DancePerformanc
More Photos

Categories