Yay! I am almost done with the semester and then I will be graduating! I had my last final yesterday, and I think I blew my A in that class. But it is ok. I'm still graduating. Now, I just need to find a job.

Hopefully, I'll find something. I have a job interview Wednesday in Atlanta. Hopefully that will go well. And Jenny mailed me another job opportunity recently, so I hope they will be interested. It's nice to have bosses that look out for you.

I am going to miss working at the museum. Everyone here has been great. If only I could take everyone with me, wherever I end up. If I am still in Atlanta, I will definetly visit, and see all the new exhibitions. I'm sure they will be great. The museum always provides interesting exhibitions.

Reviewing this past semester, I have to say my favorite exhibition was the MFA 2008. I loved seeing the projects the MFA students developed during their University experience. To me, the exhibition's popularity is due to the various works displayed. It included clothes, architecture, machinery, paintings, photography, ceramics, interior design, and so much more. It was easy to spend a couple of hours in that one exhibit. But then again, I love trying to guess what the artist was thinking about when they were in the creation process, and what is the collection's overall theme. Maybe that's just me. And a lot of the displays inspired reflection, such as Zuzka Vaclavik's collection. Her compositions gained immediate attention and caused the viewer to speculate about the piece's message. Overall, all the MFA students did a marvelous job and they probably all graduated.

Here's the link to the MFA website that provides an overview of each candidate and one piece from their collection:
http://ugamfa.com/

Life as a PR Intern

My name is Ashleigh, and this is my first semester as a public relations intern at the Georgia Museum of Art. Up until this point, I had never done anything pertaining to PR, or least I thought I hadn’t. I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying myself, as well as gaining a ton of experience. Since I’ve been here, I have done many things, from clippings to helping with special events, drafting press releases, and most important…MEDIA LISTS!

A company or an organization is only as good as its media lists, a little something that Jenny Williams, the media relations coordinator at the museum, filled me in on. Media lists are extremely important, and keeping them up to date is even more important, so that has been sort of my main focus so far. I’ve been making sure the lists are correct, with the correct person as well as the right address, because there’s nothing like sending out a press release or information about the museum and it being sent right back to you because the address or contact person is incorrect.

I also drafted and completed my first press release! I must say that I was extremely nervous about writing a press release. Like I said before, I had no experience in PR, so I did not even know exactly what a press release was and what it entailed. My first press release was about a film called “Willow Garden” by Jim Haverkamp, which will be shown at the museum on April 23, 2008, at 7 p.m. in the M. Smith Griffith Auditorium (pub!!!). It is a part of the Southern Arts Federation Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers (pub!!!). I call this press release “my baby” because it is my first, and I am extremely proud it. There’s nothing like sending out something you wrote and with YOUR NAME ON IT. Greatest feeling ever!!!

Along with updating media lists and completing my first press release, I have also helped with a special event this semester. I got to take part in the Fourth Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts. It was a wonderful experience. I mostly checked people in and mingled from time to time. I also drank AWESOME lemonade all night long and had the most DELICIOUS mini red velvet cakes…YUM!!! I got to take a tour of the exhibitions that were presented that night and I must say that they were amazing, beyond belief!!!

I am in the process of drafting my second press release about the exhibition From the Collection: The Authority of the Mexican Muralists.

So far, so good!!! I’m enjoying myself so much, but back to work I go!!!

We should all be thankful.

Today at the museum I got to scan images that will be used for a future project. I know that seems like the most entertaining work ever, but as I scanned, I realized the vast range of artists that GMOA represents. It is nothing short of amazing. There are decades worth of artists represented using various styles, different media – it’s mind boggling.

When I think of all the great artists that we (UGA students) have at our disposal, it makes me proud to be part of an institute dedicated to preserving history and culture, and proud to be part of institute that takes visual notes and compiles them so we can have a cheat sheet later in life when asked what happened in such-and-such era.

We are lucky to have people who are so devoted to collecting art and conserving it so others can learn from it, but the greatest thing in my opinion is that the museum staff is as devoted to promoting art as it is to conserving it.

The museum currently has on display the Masters of Fine Arts exhibit. This highlights students who have completed their masters program at the university and celebrates their accomplishments.

I walked through the galleries before it was open to the public (yeah, I got it like that) and was amazed at the skill of the students and the depth of their work. I am very glad that such creative minds remain among us.

I invite everyone to come to the museum and see what is on display but for now, I need to go scan.

So Much Fun!

Last Friday, Hillary arranged for me, Jenny, and Natalie (a fellow intern) to take a tour of the University of Georgia printing department located on campus. We were all excited to learn about this process, and the permeating smell of ink that we noticed upon entering the building only fueled our enthusiasm and heightened our curiosity.

It was amazing! Once again, the process is extremely complicated, yet also simple when you think about it. Jeff Allen showed us the stages of the actual printing of a book or other publications. He began by explaining how plates are made on aluminum sheets from a digital source and are then “copied” when the actual pages of the book are printed in the printing press. UGA has two printing presses at this location. The newest one is enormous! I could not believe the size and speed capabilities of this machine that costs millions of dollars. It was amazing to see the freshly printed pages of a book before they are cut and bound by other machines also located in the basement. Despite the volume of pages and publications, I was shocked to learn that so few people work there; much of the process of production has now been computerized. The entire tour was fascinating and I left the building with a greater appreciation for published materials. I highly recommend taking this tour!

Hi! My name is Caitlin. I began working as the publications intern here at the Georgia Museum of Art last semester (Fall 2007), and I have loved every minute of it! I have learned so much about editing and publishing books, brochures, catalogues, and newsletters, gaining a better understanding of how complicated and intricate the process is from start to finish. These projects have been supplemented by my participation in several special events at the museum, such as the Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts. Through these experiences, I believe I have learned more about art and the functions of a museum over the last semesters than I ever could in a classroom. The staff here is truly amazing, dedicated to their passion for art and educating the public in this respect. They have guided me throughout my internship and taught me real-world skills that I know will prove invaluable in my future career pursuits. I cannot thank them enough!

The last month has been an exciting time for me at the Georgia Museum of Art. For a large portion of this semester, I helped edit the museum’s latest publication, Decorative Arts in Georgia: Historic Sites, Historic Contexts, with Hillary Brown, the editor of publications. She has inspired my now great interest in the process of publications, and I owe her tremendous thanks for teaching me about this subject. It is much more complicated than you can probably imagine! I know I was shocked to learn how much effort and planning is required to publish a book.

About a month ago, the books arrived in the office, and we were able to see the finished product. Although I only contributed to the book’s publication in its last phase, and my work was probably minimal compared to that of the many people who worked on the project, I was so proud of the result! As a student, I have written many papers and received good grades for these projects (a worthy occasion for pride), but I have never been more excited or proud of any form of writing that I have ever done than I was when Hillary handed me a copy of this book. When I turned to the copyright page and saw my name printed under “Publications Intern,” I was beaming and showed my friends and family for a week afterward. I think I may have been more excited than I should have been, but my name was in a book! I could not believe it! This small accomplishment has been one of my most exciting experiences at the museum.

UGA Printing Press

After posting the last blog, Caitlin, Jenny, and I toured UGA's printing presses. In high school, I did some work with printing presses - not a lot, but I do know a little about them. I was shocked to see the drastic change in technology from 5 years ago. Granted, I really shouldn't be surprised as technology is constantly changing.

The most advanced printing press UGA owns is able to print 4 colors front and back. For those used to doing one color and one side at time, you can appreciate this advancement. And this press is computerized. You can adjust the colors you want by pressing a few keys. Again, for those who had to place ink on the press manually and then clean it to prepare for a different color, you will appreciate this new feature. (Well, it's new to me. It has probably been out for a while and I just did not know it.)

Touring the facility acted as a nice change of pace.

And thanks to Jeff for showing us the plant and how the printing process works.

Hey! My name is Natalie and this is my second semester as a Public Relations intern for the museum. It has honestly been an eye-opening experience. I orginally took this job because it paid better than the one I had at the time. But I have found out that there are more perks than just the paychecks. (which is still greatly appreciated)

I applied to the job on a whim. I did not really understand what exactly a PR person did. Now, after experiencing day-to-day operations, I am considering changing my career path.

The majority of my work involves clippings, which can be a tedious process but are really simple. Plus, I have the added benefit of being up to date with goings-on in Athens.

The last few weeks have been pretty easy at the museum - well at least for me. We just finished mailing press releases and Southern Circuit flyers to the University of Georgia's Drama Department. One of my professors actually received the flyer, which she passed out in class. It was good to see those flyers being handed out, simply because the process of printing and cutting them took a long time.

Well, I need to get back to my clippings and see what Athens has in store for this weekend.