Posts Tagged 'The Sixth Floor Museum'

Friday Photos: Insta Interns

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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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

The Kennedys in Texas

When I visited Dallas for the first time, my number one must-see destination was The Sixth Floor Museum. I have been fascinated by the Kennedy family since I was nine years old, and I felt compelled to make a pilgrimage to Dealey Plaza and the former Texas School Book Depository. What I didn’t realize is that many Texans, including a large number of the DMA’s docents, have never been to The Sixth Floor Museum. That changed last week, when a group of docents and I ventured down to the West End to explore The Sixth Floor Museum as a group.

The original sign from the Texas School Book Depository on display at The Sixth Floor Museum

The original sign from the Texas School Book Depository on display at The Sixth Floor Museum

The timing for our field trip couldn’t have been better. Just last week, Hotel Texas: An Art Exhibition for the President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy opened at the DMA. This exhibition brings together thirteen of the sixteen artworks that were placed in Suite 850 at the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth. The President and Mrs. Kennedy slept in Suite 850 on November 21, 1963–the night before his fateful trip to Dallas. The original installation was created over the course of five days by a small group of art collectors in Fort Worth. Works by Picasso, van Gogh, Marsden Hartley, and Thomas Eakins decorated the suite’s living room and two bedrooms. The DMA is marking the anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination by bringing these works back together for the first time in 50 years.

Docent Judy Butts examines Charles Marion Russell's Lost in a Snowstorm

Docent Judy Butts examines Charles Marion Russell’s Lost in a Snowstorm

The docents and I explored Hotel Texas together before traveling down to The Sixth Floor Museum. Once we were there, we were greeted by the museum’s chief curator, Gary Mack. Gary spoke with us about his time at The Sixth Floor Museum, including his role in curating the museum’s main exhibition: John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation. After speaking with Gary, we were free to explore the museum at our own pace. This was my fifth visit to The Sixth Floor Museum, and every visit is powerful and moving. This visit was even more special, though, as I listened to the docents share their memories of where they were on November 22, 1963.

Sharron Conrad and Gary Mack speak with the DMA's docents at The Sixth Floor Museum

Sharron Conrad and Gary Mack speak with the DMA’s docents at The Sixth Floor Museum

For those of you who participate in DMA Friends, we have launched a new JFK Badge in conjunction with the Hotel Texas exhibition. To receive this badge, you only need to visit The Sixth Floor Museum and the Hotel Texas exhibit at the DMA.  Show your ticket stub from The Sixth Floor Museum to our Visitor Services Staff to receive the code. We hope to encourage our Friends and visitors to take this unique opportunity to gain a better understanding of history through these exhibitions.

The DMA and The Sixth Floor Museum have also teamed up to offer a special experience just for teachers during a full-day Teacher Workshop on Thursday, June 27th. The Kennedys in Texas: The Art and History of November 22, 1963 will begin at the DMA in the Hotel Texas exhibition. After breaking for lunch, we’ll spend the afternoon at The Sixth Floor Museum. Registration is now available online–just select “Teacher Programs” to sign up.  We hope to see you there!

Shannon Karol
Manager of Docent and Teacher Programs


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