This summer, Tiffany Barber, a PhD student in Visual and Cultural Studies at the University of Rochester, New York, has joined the staff of Laumeier Sculpture Park as part of ArtTable’s Summer Mentored Internship for Diversity in the Visual Arts Profession, with mentor Marilu Knode, Laumeier’s executive director.
During her time at Laumeier, Barber will work with Knode and Dana Turkovic, Laumeier’s Curator of Exhibitions, on the park’s spring 2014 show Mound City, which will trace the presence of native cultures in contemporary society. She is one of five interns placed with ArtTable members’ organizations around the country.
“We are honored to have been chosen to participate in ArtTable’s Summer Mentored Internship,” said Knode.
“This award is an important recognition of Laumeier’s active mentoring of a new generation of students so that they become leaders in the arts. Best of all, Tiffany’s range of interests and skills will be an asset to Laumeier’s multi-disciplinary scope.”
Each year, ArtTable, the leading national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing professional women’s leadership in the visual arts, invites female college seniors, graduate students and recently graduated college and graduate students with an interest in arts administration to apply for the organization’s Summer Mentored Internship for Diversity in the Visual Arts Professions.
“Internship experience allows young women entering the field to explore, in a professional environment, possible career options,” Ada Ciniglio, ArtTable Acting Director, explains.
“There is no better preparation for the job market. ArtTable mentors represent leaders in the field, making this opportunity that much more valuable.”
The program supports emerging women professionals from backgrounds generally underrepresented in the field. Through one-on-one mentoring relationships with ArtTable members, interns have the opportunity to work with an established leader in the field and gain exposure to a range of professional activities. ArtTable provides a $3,000 stipend for each selected intern for an eight-week commitment.
Among the previous arts organizations that have hosted interns are: the Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach; Boston University School of Visual Arts; Creative Time, New York; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City; Louisiana Artworks, New Orleans; Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington; Museum of Arts and Design, New York; National Gallery of Art, Washington; and New Orleans Museum of Art.
In addition to mentorship programs for young women newly entering the field and professional development seminars for leadership at all career stages, ArtTable’s on-going mission includes educating and informing our members and the general public about significant developments and issues in the visual arts through public panels, conferences and talks.
Laumeier is a living laboratory where artists and audiences explore the relationships between contemporary art and the natural environment. It is the largest arts organization in St. Louis County, showcasing more than 60 works of large-scale outdoor sculpture in a 105-acre County park available to the public year-round. Laumeier serves 300,000 patrons annually through exhibitions, educational programs and public events for all ages, throughout the park and the indoor galleries.
