By Sydney Ion
Throughout my six weeks working as a summer curatorial fellow with the Centre for 21st Century Studies (C21) I developed a deeper passion for Art History and my career moving forward. I never expected to be given the freedom to have an impact and make an actual change. I was always one of those kids that thought “Oh yeah I do want to make change, but what can I really do,” but through the mentoring of C21 Staff and the Mathis Gallery Staff, I feel as though I can proudly say we are making change. The faculty for both organizations were open, receptive, communicative, and responsive, making my time working with them incredible. Under the guidance of Mathis Gallery Curator Leigh Mahlik, I was able reestablish the Department of Art History and Mathis Gallery Instagram foundation, and increase the number of page and profile views, in addition to a simple excel content calendar. This content calendar will allow Leigh to maintain the consistency and creativity of content, as well as involve future fellows and interns.
One of my largest personal goals coming into this fellowship was to make changes that were sustainable for whoever comes into the fellow or intern position for multiple semesters. Having the database already started allows for more collaboration on the accounts, which tied back into the overarching themes of visibility and transparency. I want art to be for everyone, not isolated to only those who are privileged enough to know of its existence; this concept was the driving factor in all the projects I contributed to in the six weeks of my fellowship. Contribution and communication among the four fellows were something simply special, and I will compare every team collaboration to for the rest of my life. Each fellow brought a unique and radiating positivity every day that was infectious. I had only dreamed of a day when I could truly say going to work wasn’t even work. Anne and Nicole helping to create a positive and welcoming space for us allowed for meetings and brainstorming to be pleasant and productive!
When I began to think about how change could occur through visibility and transparency, I instantly knew what the world needed and what the public was lacking: a look behind the scenes. Thinking back to sophomore year of my undergraduate degree, I have since then always been asked “what are you going to do with an art history degree?” This is what inspired me to started sharing on social media what a university collection and gallery looked like and how it functioned. I was inspired to work and discover all the possibilities of interaction and engagement between the Gallery and the student body, as well as the city.
This fellowship is one that I know will impact my academic/professional development, as well as my life. I was shown the benefits of leadership that treated everyone as equal no matter their title or pay, something I had never seen before, and it truly fostered a beautiful environment of creative intellectual thinking. Although I knew six weeks would fly right by, as I sit here recalling the experiences and opportunities the fellows and I were given, I can only be grateful (and maybe wish for a couple more weeks!)
Wishing for more,
Sydney Ion, Curatorial Fellow Summer 2022
My name is Sydney Ion, a second year master’s student in the Art History department. I received my Bachelor of Arts from Augustana College in 2021. My research interests focus on 19th Century American artists, specifically James McNeill Whistler. Adventures with my fiancé Hunter, and our two pups, Alfred and Percy Jay, are my favorite weekend activities!
