My final week

Although I will be continuing at Manifest this semester (one day a week) my "summer" internship is technically coming to a close. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to learn so much. Just as I set out to do, I was able to gain some real world experiences that will most certainly help me as I pursue a career after college.

I'm also excited about my future at Manifest. Since I have completed the alloted number of hours and gotten approval from my supervisor, I am now a senior intern! I also get to be a jury member which is an exciting new challenge. I'm looking forward to learning more in the coming semester.

A busy week

With only one week in between shows, we were very busy this week at the gallery. Austin and I came in on Tuesday to help with wall prep and hanging the show. I was glad we came in that extra day because not only did I gain more experience with hanging art work, but it also got us a head start as we were able to get pretty much everything installed on that day. I also got to observe some of the curatorial and design process as last minute decisions were made by the gallery directors and curator. As far as installation, you really can't be sheepish when it comes to math. The calculations can be tedious, and even if a piece is off by only 1/16th of an inch, the whole wall can look wrong.

On Thursday, my usual day, I did some cleaning in preparation for the opening. I swept and mopped, and then made sure all the pieces were level, clean, and dust-free. Those little details are really important. I also learned how to use the UPS website to get quotes for artists who don't include return shipping with their original package. When we deinstalled nude and packed up all the work, I sorted them into piles based on carrier--FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc. I also made a pile for packages that didn't have a specified carrier or pre-paid shipping. For these pieces, we must measure and weigh them so that we can calculate the shipping price and give that quote to the artists. I was glad to learn how to do this because now it is one more task that I can do independently at the gallery.

Friday was the opening, and we were surprisingly well prepared despite only having one week to get everything ready. The other interns and I picked up food, arranged the table of refreshments, and replenished them when needed--the same responsibilities we usually have at openings. I think we had almost 200 visitors that night, and I always enjoy talking with them and hearing their reactions to the artwork.

Today (Saturday) has also been an exciting day. On the day after an opening, I usually get here a little early so that I can return the trays and drink containers before my shift begins. Then I do some clean up where it's needed. Also, a lot of people who couldn't make it to the opening usually try and come on Saturday to see the new exhibit. Today we sold a piece of artwork and I got to handle the whole transaction. It was really the first time I had done the procedure for the sale of artwork, and I was excited to be able to handle that responsibility.

Overall, I have learned a lot in this week--and during this internship. With each new thing that I learn, I feel glad that I have been trusted with an additional responsibility and that I am able to be more helpful around the gallery.

Last week for "Nude" and "Seeing Red (Nose)"

This was our last week to show Nude and Seeing Red (Nose) at Manifest. In the past months that I've been working, we have had two weeks to take down the previous show and get ready for the next opening. This time, however, we have only one week, so we actually kind of started early. This week, in addition to having a lot of visitors to the gallery wanting to see the show one last time, we started to look towards the opening of Master Pieces. On Thursday, I got the boxes and shipping materials ready and organized so that packing everything up could be done as soon as the last shows closed. On Saturday, I did most of the packing of Nude. Many artists also began dropping off work for the next exhibit, and several picked up their work from the previous show too.

A lot will be going on this week in preparation for the opening. We will have about four days to patch and paint the walls, hang the new show, and get everything neat and organized. We also have to distribute the post cards and posters as soon as possible to begin promoting and advertising the new exhibition. This new show, Master Pieces 4, which opens on Friday, August 13, gives graduate students an opportunity to exhibit at Manifest. The artists that I spoke with on Saturday were very excited about the opportunity, and the work that I've seen already is superior in quality. It should be a good show, and I'm excited to see it all come together this week.