High Museum of Art: American Cities Program – Atlanta December 2, 2007
Posted by cwslibrary in American Cities Program, Atlanta, Juniors, Summer 2008, art, history, museum, technology.trackback
High Museum of Art
American Cities Program – Atlanta
High Museum of Art/Atlanta- Founded in 1905, the High Museum of Art is the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta’s Midtown arts and business district, the High has over 11,000 works of art in its permanent collection. The museum has an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American art; significant holdings of European paintings and decorative art; a growing collection of African American art; and burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, photography and African art. In 2005, the High Museum unveiled its expanded facilities to the public, more than doubling its size with three new building designed by architect, Renzo Piano.
Internship Description:
Our Summer Internship Program is offered for eight weeks during June and July, and is open to qualified, currently enrolled undergraduate students. This particular intern will work exclusively within the Education department’s Museum Interpretation team. The intern will work on both the Louvre Atlanta Year 3 and The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army exhibitions – assisting with label writing, web work and the Louvre Atlanta Year 3 interpretation technology piece.
Ideal Internship Qualification:
| Logistical: Solid computer skills (internet research, database, Microsoft Office) Strong independent research skills Good analytical skills Excellent oral and written communication skills Art History and History majors are encouraged to apply |
Personality: Detail oriented Self starter Ability to work independently and on task |
My primary project over the summer was working in the education department of the High Museum on the interactive components of the third year of the Louvre Atlanta exhibition. […] Two interactives were planned as part of the third year: a large touch screen measuring eleven feet by seven feet, intended as a summary of the visitor’s experience, and a game in one of the side galleries which introduced the techniques used by curators and scientists to determine if a work is a forgery, and linked to two works on display in the gallery.
At first, my role was primarily to work on content for both the game and wall. I wrote the first drafts of the paragraphs that described the works included on the touch screen, arranged all the information about the same works, and went to twice-weekly meetings with my supervisor, the project manager for the High Museum, and the team from the consulting company. I also helped get ready for the visitor testing that was done before production began on the wall and the game, in order to figure out what was easily understood and what potential issues would emerge.
Later, as the project progressed, I began working more with the people who were actually developing the interactive wall and the game. Since I have some experience with imaging software, I helped produce some of the graphics used on the game, which was fun and made me feel as if I was contributing in a solid way. I also worked to coordinate between what the developers needed and what the museum had, such as images and text. It was during this time that I also started helping out the graphics department when my supervisor didn’t have anything to do, which was a fun way to experience another side of the museum. Here all of my Wellesley art classes came in handy, since I helped to build a model of a future exhibition, painted walls and boards to mock up what would be used in the galleries, and made visitor guides.
I also attended meetings and worked to a lesser extent on the other interpretive tools that the museum uses, such as audio guides and a new interactive tool being developed by a start-up in Atlanta. This helped me to appreciate how museums are working to incorporate new technology and new tools to enhance the visitor experience.
Serena
Class of 2009