Release Date: July 31, 2007

College Graduates and Post-Graduates from Twelve States and Four Countries Awarded Summer Internships at the National Gallery of Art

Back row (left to right): Loren Ludwig, Greer Pagano, Seth Feman, Robert Stanley, Erin Holland, Krysta Black, director Earl A. Powell, III, Afiena van Zanten, Florian Heinhold, Benjamin Bigelow, John Bridge, Sarah Montgomery, Dave Fresko
Front row (left to right): Hyla Robicsek, Margaret Frisbie, Anna Berta, Lauren Popp, Karen Holt, Erin Corrales-Diaz, Sarah Taylor, Lauren Wile, Chiara Pidatella, Alexandra Gregg

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Washington, DC—The National Gallery of Art awarded internships to 22 graduates and post-graduates representing twelve states and four countries. The Gallery’s summer internship program, which offers paid professional museum training, began its full-time, nine-week session on Monday, June 4, and runs through Friday, August 3.

The interns represent diverse backgrounds with a range of educational experience—including art history, American studies, chemistry, music, law, and film history. They were selected based on their strong interest in museum work, outstanding academic achievement, and letters of recommendation. Most of the interns are pursuing advanced degrees.

Internship Program Selection

A Gallery-wide committee, with input from mentoring departments, selected the interns through a competitive process. Each intern is completing a project directed by a Gallery curator or department head and participates in biweekly orientation sessions in order to become familiar with all aspects of museum work. They are working throughout the Gallery in 19 departments, including curatorial, education, conservation, library, archives, music, film, and administration. The internship program is supported by individual gifts and endowment funds and is administered by the department of academic programs in the division of education. Information about this and other Gallery internship programs is available at www.nga.gov/education/interned.htm or (202) 842-6257.

2007 National Gallery of Art Summer Interns

Anna Berta: Anna graduated from the Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia and is currently enrolled in the restoration and conservation Istituto Veneto Beni Culturali. This summer she is working in the department of object conservation, assisting with ongoing research (x-radiography, x-ray fluorescence analysis, and microscopic examination) for the catalogue on Renaissance small bronzes.
Hometown: Bergamo, Italy

Benjamin (Ben) Bigelow: Ben recently graduated with an MFA in printmaking from Eastern Michigan University, where he taught for several semesters as a graduate assistant. He earned his BFA in printmaking from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. This summer Ben is working in the design and installation division in the silkscreen shop, assisting with the production of graphics for exhibitions and signage throughout the East Building.
Hometown: Ypsilanti, Michigan

Krysta Black: Krysta graduated with a BA in Spanish language and literature from the University of Kansas. She just received her MA in art history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she will continue in the fall as a doctoral student. Krysta has held several teaching fellowships at UNC Chapel Hill. This summer she is working in the art information section of the education division.
Hometown: Lansing, Kansas

John Bridge: John graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BA in literature. He received an MA in cinema and media studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he is currently pursuing his doctoral studies. He has worked as the project assistant for the Los Angeles Times Photograph Digitization Project and as a curatorial assistant for the Bonnie Cashin Collection in the UCLA library’s department of special collections. This summer John will work with the department of academic programs on research related to ongoing projects. Hometown: Los Angeles, California

Erin Corrales-Diaz: Erin graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in art history, and is pursuing a master’s degree at Williams College. She has held internships at the Chapin Library of Rare Books and Manuscripts, Williamstown; as well as the Empty Space Theater Company and the Frye Art Museum, both in Seattle. This summer Erin is working in the department of American and British paintings conducting research for the upcoming exhibition on George de Forest Brush.
Hometown: Port Orchard, Washington

Seth Feman: Seth received a BA in art history from Vassar College and an MA in American studies from the College of William and Mary, where he is continuing to work on his PhD. Seth has held several internships, including positions at the San Francisco Museum of Art, Newsweek Magazine, and Artforum International. This summer Seth is working in the department of photographs on an upcoming exhibition of the work of Robert Frank.
Hometown: Williamsburg, Virginia

David (Dave) Fresko: Dave graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in film studies. He is pursuing his MA at Emory University. Dave is also a freelance film editor and most recently served as the assistant editor on Chicago 10, shown at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Dave is working in the department of exhibition programs assisting with the production of documentary films and materials related to special exhibitions.
Hometown: Pelham Manor, New York

Margaret (Meg) Frisbie: Meg received a BA in Latin American studies at the University of Virginia and is a graduate student in library and information science at Drexel University. Meg has interned at the Virginia Women’s Center and at the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars. She is working this summer in the Gallery Archives, assisting with the inventory and organization of architectural drawings, photographs, and files of the Gallery’s buildings.
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Alexandra Gregg: Alexandra received a BA in art history from McGill University in Montreal and is working toward a master’s in museum studies at the University of Toronto. She was an intern at the Royal Ontario Museum and worked as a gallery assistant at Galerie 1225 in Montreal. Alexandra will be dividing her time this summer between the department of academic programs and the department of modern and contemporary art.
Hometown: Toronto, Canada

Johann (Florian) Heinhold: Florian is the Gallery’s first intern placed in the department of procurement and contracts. He will be assisting with the maintenance of databases and the preparation of contracts, analyses, and reports. This fall Florian will complete his university education in communication at the University of Munich and in business administration at the University of Hagen. He has held internships with the German television channel N24, ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” and the Foreign Service Journal.
Hometown: Munich, Germany

Erin Holland: Erin just completed her BFA in studio art at Abilene Christian University, where she was the recipient of her university’s art history award. Erin has previously interned with various Nashville-area sculptors. This summer Erin’s internship will focus on the treatment of outdoor sculpture.
Hometown: Abilene, Texas

Karen Holt: Karen earned a BA in German and English from Louisiana State University and an MA in modern art and theory from the University of Essex. Karen is currently pursuing her MS in information studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She was an intern at the Museum für Neue Kunst in Karlsruhe, Germany, and worked as a drawings registrar at Dale Chihuly’s Seattle studio. This summer Karen is working in the department of image collections assisting with the automation of the Gallery’s images.
Hometown: Bossier City, Louisiana

Loren Ludwig: Loren received his bachelor’s degree in historical performance and viola da gamba from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and attended the Royal Conservatory of the Hague (Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag) on a Fulbright Fellowship. He is currently a doctoral student at the University of Virginia in critical and comparative studies in music. Next year Loren will complete dissertation research in London. He is working in the music department this summer, conducting research on connections between music and art in baroque Europe and assisting with concert management duties. He will perform in the galleries on the viola da gamba in an upcoming concert.
Hometown: Amherst, Massachusetts

Sarah Montgomery: Sarah just finished her first year of law school at Boston University. She received her BA from Vassar College, majoring in science, technology, and society as well as art history. Sarah has interned in the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House and for Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. This summer Sarah is working in the personnel office conducting labor law research and analysis.
Hometown: Westford, Massachusetts

Greer Pagano: Greer earned her BA in Italian art history and archaeology from Washington University in St. Louis. She received two MA degrees, in art education and in art history, from the Ohio State University, where she is currently working toward her doctorate in history of art. Greer previously interned at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where she also served as a curatorial assistant in the department of prints, drawings, and photographs. She is working this summer in the department of special projects in modern art, assisting with the forthcoming Mark Rothko catalogue raisonné of works on paper.
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Chiara Pidatella: Chiara is a doctoral student in art history at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy. She completed her graduate studies in art history at Università degli Studi di Milano. She has interned at the Culture and Heritage Department of the UNESCO Italian National Commission in Rome. Chiara worked for the Academia di Belle Arti Tadini di Lovere, for Museo Diocesano “A. Bernareggi” and for Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo. Next spring she will be a fellow at Warburg Institute, London. This summer she is working in the department of Italian Renaissance paintings.
Hometown: Bergamo, Italy

Lauren Popp: Lauren earned a BA in art history and criticism from the University of California, San Diego, and currently is pursuing an MA in art history at the University of California, Riverside. She has interned at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, where she later worked as an education assistant. Lauren is working in the department of teacher, school, and family programs this summer, assisting with the National Teacher Institute program.
Hometown: Santa Maria, California

Hyla Robicsek: Hyla received her BA in English literature and art history from the University of Toronto and an MA in the history of art from the Courtauld Institute of Art. She currently is a doctoral student in the history of art at the Johns Hopkins University. Hyla has taught at Ryerson University and in the London program of Johns Hopkins. This summer she is working in the department of modern and contemporary art.
Hometown: Toronto, Canada

Robert Stanley: Robert received a BFA in illustration from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and an MA in printmaking and drawing from Purdue University. He worked as an assistant to the gallery director at Temple University in Rome and taught undergraduate design and drawing courses while at Purdue. Robert is working in the department of teacher, school, and family programs this summer, assisting in the development of activities for the Gallery’s academic-year High School Studio Workshops.
Hometown: Greenwood, Indiana

Sarah Taylor: Sarah graduated last month with an MA in art history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received a BA in art history and Spanish from Trinity University. Her previous internships were at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and at The Phillips Collection. This summer Sarah is interning in the office of protection services, assisting in the review of existing policies, procedures, and guidance pertaining to all aspects of Gallery security. Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Lauren Wile: Lauren just received her MA in museum studies from the George Washington University and earned her BA in art history and anthropology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has interned in the department of exhibition design at the National Air and Space Museum and in the department of lighting design at the National Portrait Gallery. Lauren is working this summer in the department of design and installation, assisting designers and architects with upcoming exhibitions and other design projects.
Hometown: Hamilton, Ohio

Afiena van Zanten: At University College Utrecht, Afiena earned a BA in literature and philosophy, and she will earn a BA in art history from Universiteit Utrecht. She was an intern in publishing at Van Buuren Schuyt and Co. and at the Museum of Graphic Art, Groningen. This summer Afiena is working in the department of northern baroque paintings, doing research and drafting texts on recent acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish paintings.
Hometown: Utrecht, Netherlands

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

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Press Office
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Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

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ds-ziska@nga.gov

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