»Internship and Mentorship

Studying art history at Chapman surrounded by extremely supportive faculty has allowed me to truly understand what a career in art history might look like. I am grateful for the art history department at Chapman for not only some of their incredible classes but also for their persistent, encouraging environment that allowed for me to discover some new interests. During my undergraduate career, I cultivated passions for advocacy, archival work, and visual culture. I interned at the Chinese American Museum under the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Program as the Public Programs and Curatorial Intern!

Joining the Art History department my freshman year at Chapman was an exciting experience - I could have never known just how impactful it would be on my life. The Art History professors were more than just class lecturers, but mentors to whom I am beyond grateful to have learned from and been guided by. At Chapman, I learned vital art historical theory, reflected on the modern art market, and made network connections that launched me into my post-graduation career. During my time at Chapman I worked at the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern in the Decorative Arts and Sculpture Conservation department. I was able to apply my art history degree knowledge towards research, and the preservation of objects at the Getty Center.

Studying Art History at Chapman University was a transformative experience. Art History taught me how to analyze the visual world around us and to empathize more deeply with others. The flexibility of the program gave me the opportunity to explore the topics and areas of discipline I was most interested in, leading me to discover my passion for Korean Art. The faculty fostered a collaborative environment for students to discuss ideas together, regardless of our respective research interests. The art history courses on a variety of methodologies prepared me to proceed with professional training in the museum field. Chapman’s proximity to the Los Angeles area allowed students to pursue career developmental internships and jobs in art institutions ranging from alternative art spaces to larger, encyclopedic museums.

My interests from a very young age have been centered in understanding the visual world around me. From the garments that we choose to wear, to the images that we choose to engage with, we are actively curating a specific visual experience that fits our needs and desires. The art history program at Chapman was a welcoming place that allowed me to further explore these interests and refine my analytical skills. My most memorable experience within the program was developing my senior thesis on the portraits of Queen Isabella I of Castile. It allowed me to explore new and preexisting interests of artistic exchange and patronage within a 15th and 16th century visual context. I am working in exhibition and publishing projects with the curatorial staff of the Drawings Department at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

I applied to Chapman University as an Art History major after having a really great experience with my AP Art History in high school. I was welcomed into the program by all of the amazing professors. I even ended up writing my senior thesis on a Chicano art collective. Currently, I am working at American Museum of Ceramic Art as a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Curatorial Inter, where I am able to combine my passion for museum work with my love for ceramics (definitely take a ceramics class at Chapman if you're able to!).

When I first came to Chapman University as a screenwriting major, I hadn't even considered art history. I declared the major on a whim. I never anticipated how much a part of my life the discipline and the department would become. As I began to explore the breadth of the art world, and of what art history could be, I found my passion in contemporary South Asian art. It spoke to issues I cared deeply about and in a visual language I understood very well. My professors introduced me to new ideas and supported me when I wanted to experiment in the ways I presented my research. The art history program led me to opportunities in undergraduate research and presenting at symposiums, and ultimately to my current position interning for the contemporary art gallery Nature Morte in New Delhi, India.

Every culture throughout history has had some sort of material culture, and, for me, studying art history gave me the gift of visual literacy. It was a window into both the immense diversity and the profound unity of the human experience. My professors encouraged me to question my own assumptions and biases, and to find new ways to place my own lived experience in a global context of art and culture. They supported me in exploring big ideas, diving down philosophical rabbit holes in my research. In working with Dr. Salmond as my thesis advisor, I was able to explore our cultural conception of authenticity in art and find meaningful avenues of inquiry. It was this framework of experimentation that led me to the Master of Liberal Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania, taking an interdisciplinary approach to understanding material culture and the human experience.