As we prepare for the opening of Layered Lives on August 25, Curatorial Intern in Contemporary Art, Caroline Davis, shares her experience working behind the scenes to help bring this exhibition featuring Cuban women artists to life.
Internship Title: Curatorial Intern of Contemporary Art
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Graduate Program: Master of Arts in Museum Studies
Why were you interested in the curatorial internship?
I am interested in understanding how oral histories and stories can shape perspectives and create an accessibility for contemporary art specifically. I am also interested in museums more broadly and how they function.
What excites you about interning at the Harn?
I love observing and learning about how the departments work together, and how the puzzle pieces fit to make a whole exhibition. I worked/volunteered with many other institutions, but none that were as large as the Harn. This internship has granted me the opportunity to see how these departments work in real time.
What has it been like working behind the scenes on Layered Lives? How have you contributed?
I have contributed a few ways in the exhibition curation, but predominantly in the audio component of the exhibition and capturing the artists’ voices. I helped create an interactive mobile tour where viewers can scan a QR code to listen to the artist’s trajectories and processes to gain a deeper understanding of and connection with the art on display.
Is there a theme or idea in Layered Lives that has stood out to you personally?
One of the ideas in the exhibition that stood out to me was the intergenerational component. Artists from numerous generations with very different mediums present a part of themselves. There are collective themes throughout their experiences, such as femininity, politics, and the ecological climate, that weave the works together.
Do you have a favorite artwork or artist from the exhibition?
I am really drawn to Sandra Ramos’ art in the exhibition. The works draw on political, historic, and cultural aspects that further helped me understand Cuban society and Diaspora. I admire her ability to subtly express herself, such as the U.S. dollar on the left edge of Cultivando milagros, the perspective of Rabo de nubes, and the use of cultural characters throughout her work. Artistically, the movement throughout the pieces captivates me and encourages me to keep looking. My eyes travel across the image to catch those details.
Was there a particular moment during installation or preparation that has stayed with you as you’ve helped bring the exhibition together?
The process behind creating a fully bilingual exhibition is an experience I am grateful for. In my museum studies courses, we discussed how language can be a barrier to learning in museum spaces. I felt that those discussions came to life as I worked on creating didactic labels and translated the artists’ perspectives for the mobile tour. Small things such as artworks in Spanish are written in sentence case, not title case, are important to pay attention to. The inclusion of the Spanish language in the exhibition will make it accessible to more audiences throughout Florida as a result.
Visit the Harn’s website to learn more about internships and application deadlines. If you are interested in supporting paid internships at the Harn, please consider making a gift of any size to the Expanding Student Possibilities Fund. For more information about supporting paid internships or other ways to give, please contact the Development office at development@harn.ufl.edu.
