In the summer of 2010, I was fortunate to intern in the Variable Art Conservation Department with Richard McCoy. In 12 short weeks I examined ten years of planning and implementation documents for 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park. When I wasn’t wading through concepts and plans, I got to stomp around in a very unusual, very soggy, construction site filled with a fantastic tunnel and a basketball court that was transforming into seemingly unending arcs of red and blue.

In our project, we aimed to establish conservation dossiers—a kind of hybrid condition report and research document of the artwork identifying key characteristics of the 100 Acres artwork. The European Union-funded project Inside Installations: Preservation and Presentation of Installation Art provided an excellent road map for us to consider how to document the structures, sounds, and images found in 100 Acres.

As a result, I observed the birth of 100 Acres from a unique perspective. As the earthmovers and horticulturalists were busy shaping the watery landscape between canal and river, I reviewed internal and external communications, USGS reports, drawings and plans spanning the life of the project. It was a bit like looking into the collective brain of what has become a very real, internationally significant, park.

Richard tasked me with researching the Park’s genesis and development, and then the final realization of the installations. From this we began to organize the conservation dossiers into a series of records and summaries that future conservators and others IMA staff and researchers can use to understand questions of artists’ intentions, duration, and material concerns.

The experience proved to be both challenging and immensely rewarding. Working out of the conservation lab, I interviewed many of the 100 Acres team members, attended planning meetings, drafted a conservation security document, and compiled technical documents detailing conservation concerns related to materials and constructions.

Serving as the project thesis, questions of from what and how each artwork was made were addressed. We aimed to establish distilled summaries that future conservators could look to when trying to understand what is happening to the commissioned installations as they live and change within the environs of 100 Acres.

The maturing plants and settling gabion baskets of Alfredo Jaar’s Park of the Laments require an understanding of not only the materials used but also the collaboration that happened between artist, curator, and horticulturist.

Tea Mäkipää’s Eden II ship was constructed in Indianapolis at the Herron School of Art and Design sculpture studio and assembled on-site at IMA in the 100 Acres meadow. The accompanying guard house positioned on the lakeshore, allowing park visitors to peer into the ships bowels via mysterious audio and video feed, is a platform designed to support the artist’s vision as much as it is a part of the current installation of this work. The final artwork was realized after an intense period of collaboration between museum and artist in the summer and fall of 2009 – and several trips to local salvage yards for weathered materials to meet the artist’s concept of a lost vessel of refugees drifting onto the shores of 100 Acres from a distant, wasted land.

The very nature of the 100 Acres site-responsive artwork, situated within a floodplain, and in some cases encouraged to change over time, called for a contemporary model to frame our research. These dossiers will serve as a kind of missive to future conservators of these complex installations detailing what we know to be true now, what is most important to the realization of the artist’s concepts, and how each component of the park is expected to live within the place that is 100 Acres.

IMA Summer Intern Steph Gray

After spending almost 8 weeks of my summer at the IMA, I cannot believe that it’s almost over. This summer has been a busy one for us interns and everyone at the Museum. From the opening of 100 Acres to working diligently to bring you (yes you!) the most exciting exhibitions and art around, I believe that the staff drank enough coffee to water a nation.

If you haven’t been to the IMA this summer, take a moment to see what we’ve been up to:

The opening of 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park

Around 10,000 visitors came out on July 20th to check out the opening day of 100 Acres. Even though it was incredibly hot outside, everyone seemed to be having such a great time interacting with the art. The islanders were giving tours, music was playing, a giant grasshopper was walking around and some of the artists were even watching how the public interacted with their work. Alfredo Jaar stood by me while he was waiting for the trolley…I was star struck.
We’re glad that everyone has been enjoying the park so much and it’s gotten such wonderful press! New York Times, Wall Street Journal, plus our great local news stations and papers as well. If you haven’t been to the park yet, check it out ASAP!

VTS & Tara Donovan: Untitled

A part of our internship included weekly program that allowed for the interns to experience different sides of the Museum and the art “world”. Learning about all the different aspects of the museum and how exhibitions and artwork comes together has become incredibly useful in both my internship and how I now view visual art. The one of the programs I enjoyed most was the Visual Thinking Strategies tour of Tara Donovan: Untitled that allowed us to effectively talk about and analyze Donovan’s work in the exhibition. Through a facilitated discussion we were able to learn so much more about the work than just a regular stroll through the gallery.

Summer Nights

If you haven’t been able to come out and see a film on Friday evenings at the IMA, there is still time! Summer Nights films are fun and you can view them outside on our amphitheater or in the Toby with your family, friends and tons of food (obviously, the best part.) PLUS, if you buy a membership you get discounted tickets and priority seating! It’s a win/win.

Some other great tidbits

Joshua Mosley’s A Vue is amazing. Go see it immediately. Jeppe Hein takes champion of the summer, not only for creating Bench Around the Lake that can be seen in 100 Acres, but also for Distance, the ball roller coaster located on the fourth floor of the museum! PLUS, we have tons of amazing art in all of our galleries from Asian Art all the way to Design. There is something for everyone!

And coming soon…

Andy Warhol Enterprises will be opening October 10, 2010 (or 10/10/10) to the public. This will be your chance to experience the work of Warhol up close and personal at the Museum! “But Steph,” you may be thinking, “that’s almost THREE MONTHS AWAY!” Don’t worry; we’re hard at work to bring Warhol to you all the time. Stay Tuned!

Also, do you have plans for Friday, August 13, 2010? The Public Affairs team has been working diligently to bring you a SURPRISE EVENT at noon on Monument Circle! I’m not at liberty to say what it is, but I promise it will be worth your while if you show up downtown a little before noon…

I’m guessing this blog post has inspired you to immediately stop what you’re doing and head to the IMA…after all, it’s free! Get ready to be amazed (like this guy).

Historic photograph of Sewall Memorial Torches

“Hey, I have a new project for you guys,” Richard greeted us as we came into the conservation lab one morning. “The museum owns a pair of bronze lampposts that have just been loaned to Herron High School and installed at their original location at 16^th and Deleware. The school is really excited to have them back. Since they are IMA property, we are responsible for taking care of them. That’ll be our job, so start researching bronze. Chop, chop!”

Thus began our first adventure into the world of outdoor bronze treatment and our blossoming knowledge of the subject. Our research fell into two categories: the history of the Sewall torches themselves, and the characteristics and treatment of outdoor bronze sculpture.

Bronze is one of the oldest and most important materials in human history. Its strength, beauty and other characteristics make it well suited to industrial, military, and artistic uses, giving it such prominence in the archaeological record that it lends its name to an entire stage of human technological and social development (the Bronze Age!) .  Check out the bottom of this post for more information about bronze!

The Sewall Memorial Torches are intimately tied to the history of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the arts movement in Indianapolis at the turn of the 20^th century. As the savvy blog reader will remember, May Wright Sewall was the founder of the Art Association of Indianapolis. Shortly after her death in 1920 the Association honored her contributions to society by erecting these torches outside what was then the Herron Art Institute, the city’s first art museum and art school (the school is now located on the campus of IUPUI).

When the museum component moved to the present location in 1970 and became the IMA, the torches came with.  They remained in storage (indoors and out) until this year, when they were returned to their original location.

Armed with this knowledge, the three of us boldly set out for Herron High. There we began our first official documentation project of the summer.

Conservation is full of documentation, and we had to learn how to do it the right way. Materials needed: camera, tape measure, pencil, and paper (and a good eye). We examined the torches, their installation, stability, and overall appearance, and then wrote a condition report complete with a thorough description and pictures of their pre-treatment state.

Conservation Treatment Report

The first thing confirmed was that the torches are structurally stable—the installation was excellent; new mounts were bolted into the limestone, not directly attached to the torches but merely holding them in place underneath. All evidence of the torches’ original patina bronze is now lost from decades of exposure to the natural elements.

Exposed surfaces showed the bright green of verdigris, and the sheltered areas were a crusty black. This splotchy appearance made the overall shape of the lampposts and the designs within the intricate bronze-work difficult to fully appreciate.

Sewall Memorial Torch before treatment

We decided that the best treatment short of a complete restoration of the patina would have two stages: 1) cleaning off the lose corrosion on the surface, and 2) coating the entire surface with a thin layer of wax, which would unify the appearance of the bronze by saturating the light green corrosion layer.  The wax would also protect the bronze from further weathering and graffiti.

Once we developed a satisfactory treatment plan, we gathered our materials. First, the white van, a monstrosity big enough to haul around the three of us and all of our necessary items, including:

1. Ladders—these torches are tall, standing 10.5 feet on their own, and mounted on limestone bases about 3 feet tall.
2. Power washer.
3. Propane tanks, torches, and lighters.
4. Brushes.
5. Wax.
6. Traffic cones.
7. Various tools.
8. Sunscreen!

Upon arriving at the scene of the assignment, we drove directly onto the sidewalk and scattered the contents of the van around to broadcast our official purpose.  A group of Herron summer school students stared on curiously while eating their lunch as we began taking turns blasting the torches with gallon upon gallon of high pressure water.

Katherine Langdon power washing

It was a hot day, but we didn’t feel it. Within five minutes we were soaked from head to toe from the water ricocheting off the bronze. This went on for hours. Even half-blinded by the force of the water in our faces, we could see patches of darker bronze emerging from beneath the verdigris. Finally the first torch was clean, revealing a much healthier surface.

Jessica Ford power washing

Richard meanwhile attended to many important cell phone calls and internet searches on his iPhone, which never seems to leave his side.

After the water we progressed to fire.

Hot wax treatments are ideal for outdoor sculptures because the wax used has a very high melting point and hardens into a rigid coat that lasts fairly well through the effects of the changing seasons. Richard formulated the wax compound we used on the torches earlier in the year.  The microcrystalline blend consists of 80% Microwax W-445, 17% Bareco 2000, and 3% Cosmolloid 80 H.

Application of hot wax requires the bronze to be heated with a propane blow torch, which makes the wax fluid upon contact and allows for a smooth and even coating.

Katherine and Jessica hot waxing

Swapping tasks between heating the bronze and spreading the wax, we began the arduous process of coating the lampposts. The wax had the immediately satisfying effect of unifying the color of the surface into a rich, dark greenish-brown. We vertically challenged interns took responsibility for the intricate crevices and detail-work on the lower portion of the torches, and Richard used his height advantage to coat the upper reaches.

Katherine showing the torch waxed half way

In detailed areas we also used Trewax, a commercially available paste wax (applied cold) made mostly of carnauba wax.

Richard applying Trewax

And so it was that after days of work, a little bit of sunburn, and a lot of learning that we brought the Sewall Memorial Torches to their more dignified current state. Their appearance now more closely reflects the originally intended aesthetic, allowing visitors and passersby to enjoy their design.

As we packed up to go, one of the first passersby to see our finished work was an elderly man taking a stroll with the aid of a cane. He stopped to admire the torches and then addressed us with an excited smile. “I’m so glad these lampposts are back. You know, I used to be a student here when it was still the Art Institute, and I was sad to see them go. I always loved these lampposts. I’m so happy they’re back!”

Whoa. That was the moment we realized that we’d done more than just re-wax some old bronze. We had helped return a fondly remembered piece of history to the Old Northside. As the former posh stomping grounds of a U.S. President and the blighted scene of countless crimes and drug deals, the neighborhood has seen multiple transformations since the torches were first installed, some for better, some for worse.  Another recent addition to the neighborhood is Indiana Landmarks, whose new headquarters is in the former Central Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, which is currently under major restoration.

The lampposts recall the most valuable contributions of the neighborhood during one of its most successful moments; back in their place of prominence, they are now symbols of the restoration of the community.

Sewall Memorial Torches after treatment

After we packed all of our supplies back into the van, we drove straight to Dairy Queen for a much-needed reward. We decided to enjoy our treats while taking the scenic route back to the IMA through the neighboring Crown Hill Cemetery.  Richard pointed out the many different bronze, limestone, and marble monuments that quietly reveal the development of Indianapolis. One of these is the elegantly heartbreaking homage to Albertina Allen Forrest created at the turn of the 20^th century. It features a bronze figure of a young woman in mourning made by Rudolph Schwartz, the same artist who sculpted the roundels on the front façade of Herron High School (next time you’re there, look up).

These objects, their relationship to their time, and their role in the progression of our city are history lessons worth preserving. Now we are equipped to assist in these efforts.

Finally, for those of you who like factoids, here are a few interesting ones we learned about bronze during our research:

• Bronze is an alloy usually containing 88% copper, 12% tin.
• It is used in sculptures for these reasons:
  • it is a hard but relatively non-brittle metal alloy;
  • it protects itself from damage to a certain extent by forming a surface layer of corrosion that seals and protects the rest of the bronze — this is called the patina;
  • it sets in detailed molds particularly well.
  • The final surface appearance of bronze is up to the maker, who controls the patina via various complicated chemical processes. For example, the surface can be patinated to appear black, brown, dark gold, green and many other colors. It can even be patterned.
  • The earliest surviving bronze artifacts date to the late 4^th millennium BC.
  • When bronze corrodes outdoors, the most frequent results are:
    • verdigris, the sea-foam colored powdery corrosion often seen on copper roofs, fountains, and other untreated copper-based alloy pieces. (Verdigris is also frequently used as a decorative patina.)
    • black corrosion (copper-sulfur compounds) that builds up as a result of air pollution and gathers on parts of the bronze that are sheltered from rainfall.

My desk in the conservation lab was situated amongst Renaissance sculptures, ornately painted vases, African artifacts, and yet I was there to devote myself to one specific artwork far too large for any lab: Robert Indiana’s 1970 sculpture, LOVE. Needless to say, it is a piece that prompts a nod of recognition. Whether identifiable from its centralized positioning on the grounds of the IMA, or through its plastic incarnation as a dangling, mass-produced key chain, most everyone seems familiar with the trademark tilt of LOVE’s “O,” as it has been so hopefully interpreted to symbolize a movement forward or—in the case of my research of LOVE’s conservation history—a rather complicated stepping back.

Lucie Alig considers LOVE

At first, Richard seemed surprised when I agreed to become the museum’s “LOVE intern” this summer. The task at hand was to extract succinct meaning from the stacks upon stacks of treatment proposals, condition reports, photo negatives, correspondence, digital files, as well as the many yellowing newspaper articles through which the “love” puns (“What We Need is LOVE,” “Three Tons of LOVE”) were, of course, endless. Honestly, I surprised myself a little, too, with my enthusiasm for the job (and the joy in the puns). Never before had I considered that the sculpture—which had always held a kind of iconic status throughout Indianapolis and, consequently, my Indianapolis childhood—would be in need of labored research. Regardless, I gladly took on the job, and it was not long before I knew all about the weathering tendencies of Cor-ten steel, the varying protectiveness of different landscape designs, the underlying concepts of Pop Art. Or so I thought.

One day, as I drove past LOVE on my way into work, I was compelled to pull over. Though this very drive-by had become ritual—a check-in on the beast as I made my way to tame it—today the piece had attracted an atypical crowd. Though often prone to attention from love-struck couples, or children in search of a forbidden jungle gym (please, please, please stay off!), today the sculpture’s admirers seemed much more settled into their viewing positions. As I approached the sculpture, it soon became clear that these were art students, and that in addition to observing LOVE, they were painting its very form.

Encircling the sculpture were nine completely personalized interpretations of it. Not only was each painter incorporating LOVE’s setting—the museum’s contemporary façade, ambling visitors, the well-tamed summer turf—to a different extent, but each composition had its own sense of scale, of coloration, each “O” was angled to a different degree. In fact, the only trait the paintings seemed to share was a disregard for the very issues to which I’d become so concerned: the streaky discoloration of the exterior rust, the particular height of its mount, the Jesus fish that had been scratched inside the “V.” Instead of reflecting the many qualities that conservation sought to fix, these re-interpretations completely overlooked the sculpture’s material flaws, treating it instead like an icon, as intangible and fleeting as love itself.

As I sat down to my desk later that day, it was harder than ever to feel in control of my project. The particular treatment of a particular bolt, for example, no longer felt like a pressing matter; instead, it was just a small, simple detail that was sure to go unnoticed. Furthermore, LOVE’s many offshoots around Indianapolis—those SALE signs (with their otherwise arbitrarily italicized “A”), the mini-LOVE paperweights that seemed to rest on the desks of all my grade-school teachers—were now constant reminders of the inevitability of art’s reinterpretation.

Set-backs aside, I persisted in organizing the “LOVE files.” and did my best to turn the conservation staff’s many obstacles and victories into an easily referenced narrative. LOVE may seem, at times, like a painfully simplistic work of art—the perfect subject for a beginners’ painting workshop—yet its very candor is reliant on a complicated history of tweaking and mends. Though I learned a lot about the crucial role of conservation, I try to remind myself of what else I learned: that the document I produced—clarity and thoroughness aside—is prone to change in the eyes of someone else, to someone with their own idea of love in mind.

If you were out Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis and happened to see a sculpture flying mid-air across town, don’t worry — you weren’t imagining things.

The sculpture, East Gate/West Gate by Sasson Soffer took flight at around 6 pm and safely landed about ten minutes later. The work is one of four outdoor sculptures the IMA has loaned to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis — otherwise known as IUPUI. Three of the sculptures were relocated earlier in the year, but East Gate/West Gate was too big to transfer via truck. Measuring 24 x 40 x 30 feet, the sculpture could only be moved via helicopter.

The IMA mapped a route along the White River that allowed for the fewest traffic interruptions, and the sculpture made a smooth landing with a welcoming crowd on IUPUI’s campus to greet it.

I bet you wish we had video of that, huh? Well, here it is, straight from the Nugget Factory:

The four IMA sculptures will join newly commissioned works of public art to be located along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. The trail will connect neighborhoods, entertainment amenities and Indianapolis’s five downtown cultural districts. The western corridor of the trail, to be completed in 2011, will pass through the campus of IUPUI along Blackford Street and will run adjacent to two of the four sculptures from the IMA collection.

Sculptures on loan to IUPUI include:

East Gate/West Gate, 1973
Sasson Soffer (American, b. 1925)
stainless steel
24 x 40 x 30 ft.
82.56

Spaces with Iron, 1972
Will Horwitt (American, 1934 -1985)
cast iron and bronze
54 x 84 x 68 3/4 in.
81.220

Mega-Gem, 1989
John Francis Torreano (American, b. 1941)
heliarch welded aluminum plate, 36 cast aluminum anodized rosettes
7’2″ x 11′ x 7’2″
1997.6

Portrait of History, 1997
Shan Zou Zhou (Chinese, b. 1952)
Bronze
100 x 24 x 30 in.
2001.388

I searched the web for other interesting stories of relocating large pieces, but had a hard time finding anything. If you know of any, please comment about them. And if you have video or imagery — even better!!

"Portrait of James Whitcomb Riley" by John Singer Sargent

Within the first week of my internship, I made two exciting discoveries here at the IMA. One was The Prado in Google Earth and the other, which I found upstairs in the American Galleries was the John Singer Sargent painting, Portrait of James Whitcomb Riley.

For those who aren’t already familiar, The Prado Museum and Google Earth have teamed up to create an interactive site for the museum, which can be accessed on the internet through Google Earth. The application creates a 3D view of the museum and incredibly detailed imagery of 14 masterpieces found in the museum, including works by Velasquez, Rubens, and Rembrandt, and Goya. According to the Associated Press article, the project involved 8,200 photographs of the works and an assumedly hefty bill (footed by Google).

The end product allows a viewer to zoom in on an image made up of 14 billion pixels. According to Google, that’s 1,400 times more detailed than the image a 10 megapixel camera could take – it’s quite remarkable. I watched the trailer for the project and was amazed. As one observer noted, you can actually see what appears to be a blemish painted on the rump of a women in the Rubens’ painting, The Three Graces. From what I can remember of Rubens in my art history classes, such an addition would be typical of his humor. I downloaded Google Earth at home in hopes of exploring the paintings beyond what the trailer shows, but unfortunately, my computer couldn’t handle the navigation very well, and I was left slightly frustrated. Hopefully your computer is faster.

So, how does this relate to discovery number 2? – Portrait of James Whitcomb Riley

I have recently read several posts, both on the IMA Blog and on other blogs, that discuss the use of technology in museums. The Prado in Google Earth raises the question: Can digital imagery ever replace the real deal? Would it matter if every museum offered all of their works in a manner similar to the 14 offered by Google Earth from The Prado? Would patrons stop entering the galleries and opt for the computer based imagery?

John Singer Sargent leads me to my answer.
Can technology replace the real deal? No.
Why? Brushstrokes.

I was a painting major in my undergraduate studies at DePauw University, and John Singer Sargent is my favorite painter. I studied his technique, I wrote papers on him, and I tried painting like him. My infatuation with this artist is founded upon his brushstrokes.

My painting professor adamantly told me that a painter should always paint from life, as Sargent most always did. He would say, “Painting from a picture will flatten your image and your painting will not have the same effect as it would if you were to paint from life.” For me, Google Earth has the same effect on a painting. I want to see the brushstrokes in person, in 3D space – not on a computer screen. (Google calls it 3D, but it’s not the same…)

My point here is that no matter how cool The Prado in Google Earth is, no matter how close the computers can zoom in on the brushstrokes, (at this point you might have to check it out to really know what I mean), I am always going to want to see the real thing. Yes, Google offers me the chance to zoom in on brushstrokes in a way that my own eyes would not allow me to do but that, for me, will never replace the intimacy of viewing the actual canvass on which the paint was applied. As Prado Director Miguel Zagaza says, “What we don’t see is the soul. The soul will always only be seen by contemplating the original.”

"Lady Agnew of Lochnaw" by John Singer Sargent

This is why I will one day travel to the National Galleries of Scotland, where my favorite Sargent painting, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, hangs.

What I did on my Summer Vacation

or, How I learned to Stop Worrying and be a Good Intern

No kidding, internships have the potential to be awful. You could be stuck on coffee and filing duty. If you’re in that situation, you kind of have to put your ego to the side and be willing to do the grunt work. You can think about it as the chance to earn the respect of the people you are interning for, thus leading to your acquiring more thought provoking projects. A truly lucky intern will have both a boss that lets them manage some projects throughout their time at the institution, and the foresight to take advantage of this opportunity.

Even if you have a great situation with your boss, it can be difficult to get comfortable in your duties. In the beginning, one of the hardest parts for me was feeling confident in taking initiative. Not because I am not capable of it, but because I really wanted to make sure I was doing everything right.

As I was vacillating about the details of my summer project, one of the most helpful things Despi said was, “I can write this for you, but I think it will be more valuable to have you try it yourself.” She gave me the permission I needed to take control of the project, but also to potentially fail. Project management is one of the most difficult types of experience to gain, because it can only be learned through hard work, trial and error. It’s those ‘real life’ experiences of deadlines and organization that make internships a vital part of the learning experience.

So, I’ve learned a lot this summer. I’ve learned to write down everything. Simple but effective; this also really helps fight ‘the yawns’ in a boring meeting. I’ve also learned not to be afraid to ask all the clarifying questions you need. Your manager will not be annoyed, but instead will be thankful that they have someone who pays attention to details. Try to make yourself indispensable! Another major goal of interning is to meet the people in your future field. When a position opens up at the museum, you want every person you worked for to think of your name.

• Always say yes when another opportunity to help arises. Be flexible and available. (this one’s from me!)
• “Be open minded and willing to try new things. Look for opportunities to grow. Don’t be too hard on yourself if it doesn’t pan out. “- Emily Blyze, Development Researcher
• “Don’t be afraid to ask for the job you want. If there’s an opening, go for it! Internships are an opportunity to get your foot in the door.” – Amber Laibe, Manager of Affiliate and Volunteer Services
• “Get involved in as many things at the organization as possible. Put yourself out there!” -Meg Liffick, Communications Manager
• “Other than hygiene? Make the most of it.”- Daniel Incandela, Director of New Media

If you have advice about internships in general, or to someone thinking about interning at the IMA, leave a comment!

In closing,

To the staff in MIS, Education, Marketing, and Development, thank you for a wonderful Summer. I was very lucky to get to interact with so many departments. To New Media, I hope I haven’t scarred you too much. I had a great time!

I got my bachelors from Pratt in Fashion Design, but I always knew I wanted to be more involved with the arts community as a whole and I’ve never had the cut throat mentality to be successful in that world. So, I moved back from Brooklyn (I miss it and yet, and I REALLY don’t!) I just started in the Graduate Museum Studies program at IUPUI and I have never been happier. I miss public transportation, but I love seeing real trees. So, course requirements led to my seeking out this internship. I went about getting it in a somewhat unorthodox way… and it goes to show what you can get just for asking.

I had a class with Dr. Modupe Labode called Museum Methods, and we came to the IMA to meet with Despi and Daniel and learn about all of the innovative and cool work they are doing in the IMA’s New Media Department. I was really impressed with their creativity. I think what they are doing here is sort of leading the way in something that will be commonplace in every museum and gallery in less than 10 years. So, I emailed Despi and asked if I could meet with her and possibly talk about an internship. I think they were shocked I was more than willing to work for free, but this is such an exploding area of museum work, I feel like my experience will be invaluable.

So, we worked out a schedule, Despi did some paperwork, and I started last week for the New Media Nuggets. I’m enjoying getting to know everyone, this place is pretty relaxed and you immediately get the sense that people enjoy being here. The Dans even took me with them to lunch today, with Zach, another intern who started today. He will be working more on the technical, production side of things with the Dans. I am going to be working on a mélange of projects that Despi conceives for me, including working on website content for upcoming shows, and some fun new developments for the blog. You will see more of that unfolding soon and I would appreciate lots of feedback so that we can know what you are thinking- so click on that little comment button!

In closing, just in case you’re wondering, I don’t mind if you call me Demily. As long as we all agree Zach is Daiquiri.

As you may know from reading the Nugget Factory post a few weeks ago, all of the members of the Nugget Factory have names that begin with ‘D’. When (D)Emily approached us about the possibility of an internship, it seemed a requirement for her to work into that somehow. She started work this morning and will be with us at least through the summer…sometimes interns end up being around forever. That’s how we ended up with Danny.

(D)Emily is a brilliant and brave soul who contacted Daniel and I after we guest-lectured in one of her IUPUI museum studies classes. Her proactive spirit payed off and we cobbled together a project proposal that is actually pretty cool. We will spend the summer working on web projects of all sorts, some in collaboration with Meg. I must say that I am already overjoyed at (D)Emily’s potential to help the Nugget Factory shine even brighter. (I am listening to Madonna’s ‘Lucky Star’ as I type this, doesn’t that just sum it all up?)

Have a great story about a past internship? Motivational words for IMA’s 2008 class? Want to give props to your own intern? Do it all here. With any luck, we can get this blog post included in the mandatory orientation materials for IMA interns.