Georgia Museum of Art

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.