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At the gallery, my duties varied greatly from day to day, depending on how busy the gallery was at the time. In the two weeks leading up to the opening there was a great deal of physical work – packing paintings, filling holes, using power tools, etc. This was the most stressful period of the internship, since it was my first two weeks and the gallery was extremely hectic. Following the opening I had more administrative work to do, such as researching artists, updating the inventory, and contacting press. This was much less stressful than the weeks leading up to the opening, but there was still plenty to do and I feel that I contributed to the gallery’s organization and publicity.

While I occasionally felt like I was doing busywork, I know that I did contribute greatly to the gallery and in that, my work was worthwhile. I have definitely come to understand how a gallery operates, and learned that I am interested in working for one in the future. I will be able to use the skills acquired at the gallery in this respect. This was my first real paid position (aside from camp-counselor and things of that nature) so I think I learned a lot about office etiquette and general day-to-day working life.

For further information, please write to: ssheehan@stanford.edu