For College Students

Three people sit at one side of a table in the Tang’s print room, engaged in conversation with others who are not pictured.

A light-skinned male student in a blue button down gestures to his right at framed photographs on the wall as a female student in a pink dress looks on from behind him.

A dark-skinned female student wearing a black shirt and jacket and red scarf headband stands at the center of the image with her hands to her chest, with a black and white framed photograph behind her.

Six women of color are performing in a dark room with a black floor. Five of the women sit on the ground in a circle while one woman stands towards the center and twirls her skirt. They are all wearing white dresses.

The Tang Teaching Museum provides Skidmore students extraordinary pre-professional and co-curricular opportunities. This includes paid internships, organizing events, curating exhibitions, volunteering on the Student Advisory Council, borrowing artwork to hang in their rooms, and much more.

What you can do

Internships
Tang Guides
Student Advisory Council
ROOM•MATE: Living with Tang Art
Student curatorial projects
Student-organized events

Resources

Research the collection
Visit
Courses taught at the Tang
Student stories

Contact

Contact Assistant Director for Engagement Tom Yoshikami at tyoshika@skidmore.edu about getting involved.

Anchor name: Internships

A blonde female student wears a white shirt and looks to her left, smiling as her gloved hands move to handle a football-sized, bone-like sculpture sitting on a pedestal.

Internships

Each semester, dozens of Skidmore college students gain valuable hands-on experiences working alongside—and learning from—professionals in all areas of museum operations. This includes curatorial, collections, visitor services, design, education, public programs, and marketing. After graduation, Tang interns have been able to apply what they’ve learned to embark on careers in creative industries, including museums, galleries, auction houses, and more.

For more information visit the internships page. Or contact Assistant Director for Engagement Tom Yoshikami at tyoshika@skidmore.edu.

Anchor name: Tang Guides

A group of young women all wearing similar pink sweatshirts.

Tang Guides

The largest group of interns at the Tang are members of the Tang Guides. These students work with the museum’s front-line Visitor Services team. They greet guests, lead museum tours, serve as roaming docents, and maintain the safety of the artwork on view. All Tang Guides receive specialized training with curators, educators, and other staff members to learn about museum operations, public speaking, and multiple approaches to viewing and talking about art.

Learn more on the Tang Guides page.

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Student Advisory Council

The Student Advisory Council (SAC) serves as an important voice for the Skidmore student body in the Tang, fostering and strengthening the museum’s relationship with students. The SAC programs events for college and public audiences, and past SAC members inaugurated some of the most enduring traditions of the Skidmore campus experience, including the Tang Bazaar, the Tang Party, and the student art-loan program, ROOM•MATE: Living with Tang Art.

Learn more on the SAC page.

Anchor name: Roommate

ROOM•MATE: Living with Tang Art

Have you ever wanted to live with art you saw in a museum? ROOM•MATE: Living with Tang Art, established by the Student Advisory Council, gives Skidmore students the opportunity to borrow artwork from the Tang collection to hang in their dorm or apartment. The program begins early in the fall semester. Some students even camp out overnight to be sure they can borrow the work they want. In the spring semester, a few works are usually available again via a lottery from students studying abroad.

Learn more about how to participate here.

Anchor name: Student Curated

A group of people stand in a gallery looking at art work on the floor and on the wall.

Student Curatorial Projects

Students interested in the process of making exhibitions are welcome to propose ideas at the Tang. Student-curated exhibitions have been part of a class, independent study, or capstone projects. In 2018, the Hyde Cabinet opened as a dedicated space for members of the Student Advisory Council to learn about curation and to create an exhibition.

The initial contact person for proposals is Assistant Director of Engagement Tom Yoshikami at tyoshika@skidmore.edu.

Explore past student curatorial projects.

Anchor name: Student Events

A student sits a table of her jewelry that she is selling to visitors.

Student-organized events

Individual students and student groups have long turned to the Tang as an ideal location to hold events. Past events have included magazine release parties, fashion shows, dance performances, plays, poetry readings, and concerts. Students and student groups are welcome to submit proposals either to members of the Student Advisory Council or Tang’s Assistant Director of Engagement Tom Yoshikami at tyoshika@skidmore.edu.

Explore past student-organized events.

Resources

Anchor name: Research

Student Research

The Tang collection of more than 18,000 objects exists as a resource for Skidmore students and faculty to explore, study, research, and respond. Some objects are featured on this website’s collection pages; many more are accessible via JSTOR, a digital image resource intended for education and research. Students can access JSTOR for object research, inspiration for independent study, to find objects for an exhibition proposal, and much more. Students interesting in viewing objects in the museum are invited to contact Nora Riccio, Collections Registrar, at nriccio@skidmore.edu or 518-580-5547.

Anchor name: Visit Us

Visit

Skidmore students are encouraged to think of the Tang as their museum. The Museum offers a welcome space that elevates the residential college experience beyond classrooms and dorms. Students can visit the museum in their free time to explore the galleries and to study, meet, and hangout. The Tang mezzanine, for example, is specifically designed by an artist to be a community space for art, contemplation, and conversation. The Museum is also a great place to bring friends and relatives when they visit campus.

Anchor name: Classes At The Tang

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Courses at the Tang

Students seeking to deepen their engagement with the Tang are encouraged to explore Skidmore College classes that use Tang exhibitions and the Tang collection as primary sources for study. Below are some of those classes. Note: Not all classes are taught every semester or every year. Scribner Seminars are part of the First Year Experience for students starting on campus in the fall.

AH 324 “The Artist Interview” (taught by Tang Dayton Director Ian Berry)
AH322 “Inside the Museum” (taught by Tang Dayton Director Ian Berry)
MA 116 “Math in the Museum” (co-taught with Tang Malloy Curator Rachel Seligman and Rachel Roe-Dale, Skidmore College Department of Mathematics and Computer Science)