Graduating student Jessica Iwuoha has been selected for the Academic Internship. She will be working in the NGA’s Gallery and Studio Learning Department, specifically on the Teen Programs/Pre-Professional Programs team, with some overlap working with departments specializing in evaluation and interpretation. She will be providing hands-on support for their art + the artist programs along with working on public program development.
When you learned that you had been selected for this internship, what was your immediate reaction?
Honestly, days before the decision call, I was going through the emotional trenches! An opportunity like this, especially with the National Gallery of Art, is highly competitive! So, I鈥檇 be lying if I said I didn鈥檛 tear up hearing I鈥檝e been selected for the internship. One of the driving reasons for pursuing Museology was for learning how to create meaningful and welcoming experiences for museum visitors, so being selected for an internship where I have the opportunity to focus on education and public engagement felt like an amazing chance to explore those interests in a new and impactful way. From that reaction, I immediately thought about everything I could learn from the experience!
In your coursework, you’ve likely encountered ideas about accessibility, engagement, and inclusion. How are you hoping to see those concepts put into practice?
I鈥檝e spent a lot of time during the Museology program researching and learning how museums can create experiences to be meaningful and relevant to diverse audiences. From my thesis to my evaluation coursework to even elective classes like public programming, these experiences helped me understand the importance of implementing principles you learn from listening to other voices and perspectives. I鈥檓 excited to see how those principles are implemented within a national institution like the National Gallery of Art, but particularly excited to see how educational programs are designed with the visitor experience in mind and creating spaces where different audiences feel represented and valued.
Teen and pre-professional programs often serve as an entry point into the museum field. What interests you about this internship’s responsibility to cultivate future audiences, artists, and professionals?
听One of the reasons I was drawn into this internship was the potential of working with such programs that would help a diverse range of visitors see museums as places where they belong. I鈥檝e learned (and personally experienced) through Museology how influential early museum experiences can shape people鈥檚 relationship with art, culture, and learning. Being placed within the Teen Program, I鈥檓 excited about the idea of helping create experiences that encourage curiosity, confidence, and a sense of possibility for visitors. Especially since youth audiences are important to museums not just because they make up the future museum audience, but because they also help create future artists, educators, and museum professionals.
What aspect of the internship feels the most challenging or outside of your comfort zone, and what excites you about that challenge?
Other than moving to D.C.? Definitely stepping into a new institutional environment and learning the scale and complexity of a major national museum. Within the Museology program, much of the work I鈥檝e done has focused on smaller-scale projects, such as interpretive planning or visitor-centered evaluation, so having to adapt to a larger organization with extensive educational programming will definitely require me to learn quickly and become familiar with new perspectives and workflows. However, that is also what really excites me about the opportunity! I get to broaden my experience, collaborate with professionals of different backgrounds, and gain insight into educational programs at a national level. While I am hesitant to embrace big changes, I think being pushed outside my comfort zone is where I鈥檒l benefit from the most meaningful growth.
What are your biggest hopes for the impact this internship will have on your future career path?
My long-term goal is to be able to have a meaningful impact and contribute to the National Gallery of Art in a way that fosters engagement, accessibility, and community connection. I want to be able to develop a deeper understanding of educational programming and audience engagement within a larger museum setting by building on the skills that I鈥檝e gained throughout my academic experiences within听Museology. More importantly, I hope this internship opportunity helps me refine my professional interests and better understand where I can make the greatest impact! Whether that leads me towards museum education, visitor experience, learning and engagement, or even interpretive planning, I want to continue to build the skills needed to create a meaningful museum experience for diverse audiences!