Balancing on Ladders: A Career in Collections Management

Eva Labson’05 was looking for museum studies, a structured course of study, 当她申请大学时,也有了动手学习的机会. 伯洛伊特学院提供了这三个职位,并为她在大都会艺术博物馆的职业生涯做好了准备.

05年级的伊娃·拉布森对博物馆研究的兴趣把她吸引到了两所学院:巴德学院(Bard College)和伯洛伊特学院(Beloit). 最终,她获得了这两所大学的学位,首当其冲的是伯洛伊特大学的学士学位. Both Bard and Beloit offered museum and curatorial studies, but at Bard, these were only at the graduate level.

最终,贝洛伊特的天平向她倾斜的是她父亲的结论:如果贝洛伊特有一个好的地质系, it must be good in other subjects as well. 毕竟,她父亲的老板、在美国的好朋友汤姆.S. 地质调查局的代理主任也是伯洛伊特大学的毕业生. 学院一定做了正确的事情,培养出了这样一个有成就的人.

Eva Labson'05 Eva Labson’05Currently the general manager of collections at the Antonio Ratti Textile Center 在大都会艺术博物馆,伊娃发现伯洛伊特的项目规模很小 art history and museum studies to be an asset rather than a deficit. 这些项目还将提供她所寻求的结构和体验式学习.

“我在伯洛伊特大学接受的艺术史和博物馆研究方面的教育很广泛,而且有方法论基础. 两个项目的学生都得到了很多个性化的关注. 另外,我们有机会亲自接触博物馆的藏品. 这种训练和经历意味着我从伯洛伊特大学毕业,获得了博物馆研究方面的硕士学位. 这反过来又让我专注于艺术史,当我报名参加 Bard Graduate Center.”

Eva came to Beloit planning to major in anthropology. 一门关于裸体史的课程让她转而专注于艺术史. 她也从博物馆研究项目和伯洛伊特的项目中受益匪浅 Logan Museum of Anthropology and Wright Museum of Art.

Working under art historian Jo Ortel, 伊娃为艺术部的幻灯片收藏创建了一个可搜索的数据库. 这给了她自由,让她从零开始创建一些可供教师和学生使用的东西, even if technology has moved on since then.

博物馆研究项目在洛根博物馆牢牢扎根, 伊娃获得了许多艺术史学家所缺乏的人类学背景, but she thinks need, 特别是随着收藏范围的扩大和伦理问题对艺术界及其机构的挑战.

洛根博物馆和赖特博物馆的专业人员都表示支持. However, Eva credits Nicolette Meister 特别是教她如何成为博物馆界的专业人士. At the time, Nicolette Meister是洛根博物馆馆长,也是该学院博物馆研究项目的讲师. She is now the Logan director.

“Nicolette有很强的道德感,并在她的教学和策展工作中树立了这种道德感. 她还教我们如何在这个世界上以专业的方式展示自己, engage with external stakeholders, find mentors, and use tools, such as a CV, to present ourselves in the best light. 作为本科生,我们参加会议是为了了解进入专业社区的重要性. 这件事教会了我,即使作为一名初级博物馆专业人员,也要寻求支持才能参加会议.”

Eva’s art history and museum studies were supplemented with language study; she took both French and Italian with Jack Street. “杰克真的很关心他教的语言和文化. The classes were also challenging; there were only three students in one of my Italian classes, which meant we always had to be alert and engaged.”

The Italian studies helped prepare Eva to study abroad 在伦敦和佛罗伦萨,通过将城市视为教室的项目. 伦敦的重点是戏剧制作,佛罗伦萨的重点是艺术和建筑. Eva considers traveling to be a wonderful way to learn.

伊娃还花了一个夏天在伯洛伊特的博物馆工作,另一个夏天在 San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum. Then, following her graduation from Beloit, she interned at the U.S Supreme Court in Visitor Services. 在这个国家的首都生活和工作是一段有趣的时光.

“Chief Justice William Renquist died in September 2005, Sandra Day O’Connor announced her intention to retire, 最高法院裁定,在某些情况下,在公共财产上展示十诫是合法的,但在其他情况下则不然,” she recalls.

当伊娃进入伯洛伊特学院时,她心中有一个明确的职业方向, 但建议学生们也要追求一种似乎, on the surface, to be neither practical nor career enhancing. In her case, that meant pursuing a second major in dance, which made her undergraduate experience all the richer. Plus, she found connections to her other studies.

这是一门与艺术史和博物馆研究直接相关的舞蹈历史课程. 另外,由于我在伯洛伊特学院跳舞,我爬梯子很舒服. Chris Johnson might be surprised, 但良好的核心力量实际上是我在纺织品仓库工作的工作要求. Because our storage areas are designed to maximize space, 从高高的储物柜中取出纺织品并放回需要平衡一个长, flat, narrow board while climbing up and down a ladder.”

伊娃于2008年获得巴德研究生中心装饰艺术硕士学位, Design and Culture, writing a thesis on 伊丽莎白时代和斯图尔特刺绣中的自然观念:1575-1700. 2007年,她已经开始在大都会博物馆的安东尼奥·拉蒂纺织中心工作, 她在哪里担任了一系列越来越重要的职位. Influenced by her museum studies at Beloit, 她还养成了积极参与博物馆同事和协会活动的习惯.

伊娃的教育并没有止步于她的伯洛伊特和巴德学位. Instead, 她正在伯尔尼大学攻读艺术史博士学位, 并继续参加课程,以加深她对纺织品的理解, curatorial practices, and museum management.

A delight continues to be in traveling to learn. Of a recent travel course she says, “我从没想过自己会去德国下萨克森州的中世纪修道院检查纺织品. It was great!”

By: Elizabeth Brewer
February 18, 2022

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