Internships Blog

On Monday of last week, I hit the ground running as I began my six-week half-virtual, half-in person internship with the local Bassett Historical Center.

Interning with the Center comes with several unique advantages to someone wanting to become a public historian. As a group loosely connected to the vast Blue Ridge Public Library system, the Center offers an array of various research and investigative databases for historians to utilize. One famous user of the Center’s vast archival catalog, journalist Beth Macy, should be well-known to Roanoke College students. Having presented a lecture on campus last year concerning her new book Dopesick, Macy primarily researched and wrote her earlier book Factory Man using genealogical information retrieved with the help of Bassett’s friendly and dedicated core staff.

Another advantage of interning with the Bassett Historical Center is the opportunity to go in-depth with projects started by or limited to volunteer participation. The Center recruits many volunteers to help donate, recruit, or sometimes research items placed into its collections. I volunteered some last summer, occasionally getting the opportunity to assist with building an exhibit. Becoming an intern allows me the opportunity to join the core staff of the Center to watch how exhibits, databases, and archive preservation techniques are actually carried out beyond just the final display.

My first week showed me the first glimpse of my new internship’s advantages. My first assignment was to (minding social distancing rules) retrieve from the Center a laptop and copied versions of 45 personal letters between a World War One soldier and his wife between 1917 and 1918. While I am familiar with the exhibit these letters came from, I was informed that the transcribing of these letters for the first time would be of great benefit to the Center and the community as a whole. That has been my primary assignment, and I have been able to transcribe 11 as of the time this blog has been published.

My second assignment has come at the insistence of my internship advisor, Center director Fran Snead, as well as my close family. I am to read Factory Man, Macy’s book concerning the history, life, and times of the Bassett family, whose heirs control the powerful Bassett Furniture Factory once dominant in the town. As both a resource thoroughly enjoyed by town residents (my family included) and the Center’s staff, the book certainly gives a glimpse behind the intricate details used to inform this writer’s narrative and historical grounding. I have read around 180 pages as of the time this blog has been published.

My third assignment, set to begin next week, will involve my assistance at the oldest cemetery in town. Oakwood Cemetary, located in the heart of Bassett’s neighboring town Martinsville, has requested assistance from the Center to help document historically significant graves on its grounds. Acting as an intern on behalf of the Center, I will be meeting with local contact Lucy Davis to learn the specifics of this job on Tuesday of next week, June 23rd.

Overall, my internship looks to give a promising peek into the unique and often intricate world of the historian’s tradecraft. To assist in and sometimes facilitate the exhibit building process will be unlike any hands-on experience I have ever had. I have little doubt, however, that my internship will culminate in my better understanding of the job of a historian.

Pictured: Some of the copies of the letters that I will be transcribing.

Pictured: Still life of my ‘work station’, AKA my dining room table.

My internship with the Taubman was a unique and interesting experience. I was able to better understand how a museum functions and how many individuals keep it running even when it is closed to the public. Getting contact information and meeting with the various staff was very useful for someone who is interested in working in a museum as a future career. I didn’t know that a virtual internship would even be possible which was an experience in itself learning how groups of people can adapt and connect through other means. Finally gathering research to present in a more professional way was something completely new to me, especially since I do not have a background in education. Learning how information is presented to large varieties of age groups is a very useful skill even to those who are not seeking a future in education.

I loved interacting with the faulty as well as fellow interns who were from various colleges and places in their education. . Although connecting with individuals is much more pleasant, it is important to be able to be more flexible in situations that are out of our control. I would say that I would highly recommend any internship with the Taubman museum since it was a very enjoyable and valuable opportunity.

Today, Friday June 5th, is the final day of my internship with the Taubman Museum of Art. I was able to learn a lot about researching and presenting our findings in a professional rather than academic based manner. I also understood what it takes to really keep a museum running smoothly, not only with Patrons coming in to see the galleries each day but also the way in which the museum is able to connect to the city by means of events and charity donations. All of the faculty that keep the museum running smoothly all work together like a single unit, you cannot have one area without the other.

Although I am not interested in furthering my carer in Art Education it is still important to realize its importance to a community. Not only did our team of interns research the tapestry but we also had to create projects in which the information could be given to the public in various age groups. The “Periwinkles” made informative handouts, and hands on activities for children that could be done both in the gallery and at home. My project was making woven bookmarks with self made “looms” out of cardboard and string that children could take at home in a kit. We all enjoyed lunch together and discussed our findings and it was very interesting to learn what each group brought to the table. Once intern even came up with a “choose your own adventure” style activity. It was great to see everyone research findings but also their creativity towards their projects. I cannot believe how fast these two weeks have gone.

(Image found at https://aprettyfix.com/diy-woven-bookmarks-beginners/)

 

The Internship at the Taubman Museum of Art has been a very unique experience. I have been able to connect with any workers of the museum as well as yesterday attending an interview with Meredith Entingh who is fiber artist. We got to see some of her work and better understand how woven art, like the tapestry we are researching are made. Seeing her loom up close helped me better understand the process. With the research that my fellow interns and myself are doing we are also required to use our information to create possible programs for the incoming exhibit. Some of the student interns are presenting hands-on projects while others are being more information based. My group is making a possible brochure to hand out to visitors and better understand the tapestry.

Although research is an important part of understanding a work of art, artifact or any other historical object is it is just as important to properly present the information to the public in a way that is interesting, understandable and engaging. Our team of student interns are trying to help understand the best ways of presenting information to the public and with all of our ideas the Taubman will have many ideas to go with. We are also working on the title of the exhibit. A name of an exhibition is what draws the visitors attention and thus it should be just as engaging.

As this is being written it is Friday May 29th and the end of my first week. This morning the officials at the Taubman unrolled the tapestry for us to look at via Zoom with the other interns. Although the tapestry is 11X12ft it din’t feel as big until we actually got to see it. Everyone was wearing masks and gloves to protect the piece and themselves. Seeing the tapestry fully rolled out and getting to look at all of the beautiful details and vivid colors was great. Even though the tapestry was extremely old there still were very vibrant colors from the dyed wool and silk threads. 

 

The Tapestry, as we are trying to research more about, has been connected to the Trojan war and the Seven Virtues. The Taubman has informed us that it is part of a series which also include other virtues. Based upon my personal research the possible artisan has done similar works about Greek/Roman mythology. I enjoy seeing all of my group members research along side my own and discussing our theories on the tapestries interpretation. Although most of the information regarding the artisan and the piece itself have not been easy to find, I hope to learn more by the end of next week.

 

Starting my first internship with the Taubman Museum of Art has been very interesting, I’ve gotten to work with students from Roanoke as well as schools like Virginia Tech and Radford. I was a little nervous since this was my first internship but I learned relatively quickly. It is great to do your own research and have group members (we were mostly split into groups of three) to bounce off ideas from. Not only are Ms.Beckner and Ms.King very nice but each day we have gotten to do interviews with various Museum staff and hear their stories of how they started to work at the Museum and what they do. On day two we did a Zoom meeting with the Museums volunteer group and got to make collages together, which was a nice break from constantly looking a a computer for research and typing up notes into a group google document.

I have really enjoyed the internship thus far as the focus of my research includes art conservation more precisely the conservation and upkeep of tapestries. This is my first time doing work with any form of embroidery or fiber art which is particularly fascinating in how these pieces are unkempt and prevented from any form of further damage. These tapestries are usually repaired and delicately washed before being hung for viewers. Everyone I have worked with both inside and outside of my group known as the “ Periwinkles” have been very enthusiastic and excited to know more about the tapestries meaning, history and conservation. The students that I am working with are not limited to History or Art History in fact there are fine arts students and even STEM students working with us . I am very excited to learn as much as I can about this tapestry:  The Virtues of Charity and Prudence.

Hi All! This post marks both the end of the Spring 2020 semester and the end of my internship duties. Despite the difficulties of this semester, I can truly say that I was able to finish my internship strong and that I produced an educational resource that will be used by the Center for Teaching the Rule of Law to teach about (you guessed it!) the rule of law. I have learned a lot during this semester especially about Magna Carta and the rule of law, but also about communication and carrying out research. My final project turned out to be a massive PowerPoint detailing the importance of Magna Carta in relation to the British Government, the United States Government, and the rule of law. This PowerPoint will be posted on the Center for Teaching the Rule of Law’s website and it will be used by both the Center and other educators as an educational resource to teach college-age and above students.

Similar to how Magna Carta states that the king is not above the law, the rule of law implies that everyone is bound by the law.​ The rule of law continues to teach this principle that everyone must be held accountable for their actions that was originally set forth in Magna Carta. Magna Carta was important because it was the first legal document to establish that everyone, including the king, must obey the law. Today this idea is carried out by teaching and upholding the rule of law. It is essential that everyone respect and obey the law and by teaching this concept to students it helps ensure that they will hold governmental figures accountable. Magna Carta and the rule of law both imply that everyone is bound by the law and by teaching these two principles together the importance of them is doubly enforced. 

 

 

Hi all! This week I have been researching Magna Carta’s influence on the American government. It has been argued that Magna Carta had an even more monumental influence on the United States’ founding documents than it has had on the British government. Most of Magna Carta’s importance to the U.S is its assertion that individual citizens have fundamental rights that cannot be infringed upon by the government. The U.S. Bill of Rights asserts this importance as do many of the U.S. state constitutions which incorporate declarations of citizen’s fundamental rights. Some of the guarantees in these documents that descended from Magna Carta include a citizen’s right to a jury trial and freedom from unlawful searches.

This past couple of weeks I have started finishing up this project. I have been condensing my research and adding it together and have started putting it into a PowerPoint. I am planning on making a short informational video with a condensed version of my research as well as a more thorough and complete PowerPoint. These will give a brief overview of the history of Magna Carta, the importance of Magna Carta to the British government, the importance of Magna Carta to the U.S. government, as well as a section detailing how the rule of law connects to Magna Carta. Both of these will be used as educational resources by the Center for Teaching the Rule of Law.

Hi all! Today I am posting from my makeshift desk in my truck, as you can see from the above picture! With Roanoke College’s move to online classes in response to the COVID19 pandemic, I have had to improvise and adapt my internship as well. I live in the middle of nowhere and WIFI at my home is not very reliable, so right now I am sitting in the parking lot of a closed coffee shop connecting to their internet. With everywhere closing and everyone practicing social distancing everyone has to make changes for the safety of all, that being said this is not how I was planning on finishing my Senior year, but we must persist!

This change has been somewhat difficult for my internship, but I am hoping to still be able to finish my Magna Carta project adequately. While the past couple of weeks have been challenging I have tried to continue my research without interruption as much as possible. In my last post, I discussed how I was researching how Magna Carta influenced the British government. I have continued that research and also started researching how Magna Carta has influenced the United States Government. I hope to wrap up my project within the next few weeks and create a finished product that I am proud of!

Since my last blog post, I have been doing a lot of research on Magna Carta. Magna Carta is a charter that was drafted in 1215 by Britain’s King John in response to a group of barons asking for their rights to be documented in a legal form. Since then Magna Carta has influenced many governmental systems and documents around the world, including the United States Bill of Rights. The charter was not incredibly influential when it was first written, but since then it has become the basis for many important documents. 

 This week I have mainly been reading a lot of books and articles on the history of Magna Carta, but I have also started researching how Magna Carta has influenced the British government. Magna Carta’s influence on the British government was not as monumental as its influence on the founding of the United States government. This idea is going to form the base of my PowerPoint in which I plan to compare and contrast how and why these two differ. I have also been considering, and speaking with the director of the Center, about looking into how Magna Carta influenced other governments that had once been under English control; I think it will be interesting to see how Magna Carta influenced other English colonized countries.