Geraldine Santoso

The 2020-2021 Carole Marchand ’57 Endowed Internship provided me with valuable learning experiences as a researcher and educator. I began in the curatorial department, which was a perfect way to learn about behind-the-scenes museum work. I was able to hone my research skills and to contribute to the making of the FLEX exhibition catalogue and an upcoming exhibition about outer space called Parallax: Framing the Cosmos. I learned research methods related to the art world and saw how research can help tell stories about people and their lived experiences.

I spent most of my internship in the education department, which was led by Sunny Ra, the Laurie M. Tisch Educator for K-12 and Community Programs. This position was more community facing. It helped me realize the work we did was about more than the white cube of the museum. We reached out to others, especially children living in areas with limited resources, as a way to address inequalities. Because the pandemic curtailed in-person educational programs, we brainstormed and developed art-making activities inspired by work on view at the Tang. These activities were vital elements of live, online programs on Zoom and in Tang Art Kits, boxes filled with activities and the materials needed to complete them. We put together more than 1,000 kits and distributed them to schools, libraries, and community groups across the region.

I was able to apply my research skills toward projects in the larger community, helping people, especially young children who I see as the future of the world, learn about love, respect, and community engagement. This related directly to the work I do at Skidmore around diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a student activist at Skidmore, I discovered at the Tang the space to make a real impact in the community. It was about more than words. The education team gave me the opportunity to put words into action. I recognize I could have not done any of this—and I would not have been able to grow—without my coworkers and my supervisor. In the internship, I became comfortable with talking about issues of race, class, and gender and with my own position in the world through understanding people from different backgrounds. The fact we did most of our programs online showed me that there should be no barriers to education or artistic expression, and that access could be as easy and equitable as clicking a Zoom link.

The major focus of my internship was a project that explored the relationship between art, activism and racism, especially the experiences of Asians and Asian Americans in the time of COVID-19. I created an educational booklet for teens that introduced them artists such as the Chinese artist Gao Zhonghua, Japanese artist Kunié Sugiura, and Korean artist Nikki S. Lee. Presented in the context of the rise of anti-Asian hate, discrimination, and violence, the booklet allowed teens to expand their understanding of the diversity of the world and the art world, to reflect on ideas on race and justice generated by talking about the art, and to make new works of art in response. I envisioned this project as an opportunity to celebrate these artists as a way to counter the rise in crimes committed against BIPOC communities. I believe art has the power to heal and reconcile, and that this educational project will contribute to a future where hate has no place.

When I think of my internship, especially the community engagement of the education department, I am filled with so much joy and love. I will miss it when I am no longer the intern, but know that the next Marchand Intern will continue to do so much amazing work.