Author: Museum Studies Interns
For this interview, current Pitt students interviewed an alumni from the Department of History of Art and Architecture and the Museum Studies program to learn more about their career. Maria Castro graduated from the Department with a BA in 2013 and with her PhD in 2020. The student group responsible for selecting these past students to interview and developing their questions was Loghan Hawkes, Sofia LaRocque, Sophia Wyszomierski, Morgaine Stach, Aly Myers, and Audrey Carasoni.
What experiences did you have at Pitt as an undergraduate that shaped your future career aspirations? Why did you decide to stay at Pitt for graduate study?
As an undergraduate student at Pitt I had incredible opportunities to pursue independent research and internships in museums and arts organizations that exposed me to a broad range of perspectives on art and curatorial work. From serving as a research assistant to studio arts professor Delanie Jenkins my first year, to a summer internship at the Carnegie Museum of Art, a Brackenridge Research Fellowship, to a fellowship year at Contemporary Craft, I was able to explore my academic interests beyond what I could learn through coursework. This was central to why I decided to stay at Pitt for my graduate work. I had begun independent research on modern art in Brazil through my undergraduate thesis with Professor Barbara McCloskey and was able to build on that research in the graduate program, working with Professor Jennifer Josten when she joined the department.
Knowing your career today, is there anything you would have done differently as an undergraduate? Any general advice you would give to those considering a curatorial career?
Explore the city beyond campus when you can and go see exhibitions. Go to museums as well as smaller galleries and art spaces and talk to people. There are many paths to working as a curator or museum professional, so give yourself the chance to explore different perspectives.
What were some of the highlights of your role at SFMOMA?
Some of my most rewarding experiences at SFMOMA came from working closely with colleagues across departments—and learning from their expertise—on collaborative projects. These included, for example, being part of a team of conservators, engineers, riggers, art handlers and so many others working on the exhibition of Diego Rivera’s Pan American Unity mural at the museum, or partnering with colleagues across curatorial departments, libraries, and Public Engagement to co-curate exhibitions like Sitting on Chrome and People Make This Place: SFAI Stories.
How has your work at the Met differed so far? What projects are you working on that you are especially excited about?
The Met’s collections include over 5,000 years of art from around the world. I am looking forward to thinking about modern and contemporary art within this broad context and am especially excited to work in collaboration with my colleagues in the department to reimagine the presentation of the collection as the museum looks ahead to the forthcoming Tang Wing.