Reports compiled by Maureen Federo

The David Owsley Museum of Art welcomes a new team of students each semester to learn about museums, and develop the collection, exhibitions, and education and outreach programs to help us grow our service to the public and fulfill our mission even better.

Maureen Federo, Media and Collection Intern

Every time I visited the museum during the school year, I would see a team of staff members and student workers handling artwork, and I whispered to myself how much I wished to be in their shoes. When I saw a DOMA notice inviting students to apply for an internship, I jumped on it and applied right away. A month later, I was so excited to receive the acceptance email that I broke into my happy dance and immediately called everyone I knew to spread the joy!

As the Media Intern this summer, I created and edited videos that feature the museum and what it offers, but I have also had the opportunity to work in other museum departments too, for example curatorial with research on art and artists and writing label descriptions that highlight the work for improving visitors’ understanding, and I worked in Collection Storage.

After completing the art handling training, I was able to participate in moving objects around the museum and doing installations in the galleries. I very much felt like part of the team here, and it is very satisfying to me that I was able to contribute to the work maintaining the museum to be great as it is.

I absolutely loved the excitement of opening shipping boxes with new objects sent by our most generous benefactor, Mr. David T. Owsley. You know you are in the right place when you walk in the door with a smile every time. The David Owsley Museum of Art is one of my favorite places on the Ball State campus, and I am very grateful for having the opportunity to gain more experience in video production, curatorial research and writing, and in handling precious artwork. The media work I did is not so different from my graduate digital storytelling program, but the environment certainly is.

This summer there were three education interns helping the education staff prepare for major fall projects.

Carli Mandel, Education Intern

I first became acquainted with the layout and inner workings of DOMA upon my professor assigning creating a Trivia App game for the museum in one of my art history courses. I would later go on to become a volunteer docent, and my passion for improving the museum and stretching the boundaries of my knowledge would take off. I applied and was later accepted to become an education intern for the summer of 2017, and the experience has truly been one that has changed my life. In this position, I was really able to foster my love and appreciation for both history and art, my areas of study, as well as learn practical skills in academic research, writing office communication, and fostering relationships with others in the local community. I was given the opportunity, in particular, to write wall labels that currently hang in the galleries, as well as help aid my fellow docents by creating informative guides for specific works of art.

To be able to contribute and add a piece of myself to the museum in such tangible ways was extremely rewarding, and I take great pleasure in knowing that in a small way I have helped further the credo of this museum, to share art and expand cultural awareness to others.

Lily Rawson, Education Intern

The museum has offered me an amazing experience and I have become more personally invested in the collection through uncovering the history of objects for label writing, or delving into holistic research for potential tours and community activities. In addition, this experience has taught me how the museum functions as an educational institution, a community partner, and most importantly as a careful researcher and preserver of amazing works of art. While I am a graduate student of glass and worked at DOMA as an exhibition and preparator’s assistant, serving as an education intern has provided me a whole other perspective.

 Kitty Taylor, Education Intern

Being an intern at the David Owsley Museum was a life changing experience. I was able to apply my art knowledge as a sculpture major to help answer questions and solve problems. This internship also taught me a plethora of skills, such as the important use of surveys and Qualtrics software to crunch the data, how to properly research an artist and work of art, label making, and how to educate and interact with the public. Every student should apply to the David Owsley Museum of Art because of the new skill-sets you learn, the experience you receive, and the talents you can bring to the museum.