By JAZMIN GOMEZ
As a Studio Art major and Psychology minor, Mason’s position as a student worker at the Wright Art Museum comes as little surprise. Originally expecting a desk position, Mason learned that his actual position would contribute to his artistic experience. “I don’t dream of working in a museum. I do dream of being my own artist, making my own art and stuff. But having these experiences, I can have them as sort of side hustles, is very beneficial for me,” he says.
Even the environment of the museum seems advantageous for Mason. “I really just like being surrounded by art and stuff, being involved in it in whatever way I can, really,” he reflects on his student position. Yet, everyday presents different tasks and challenges. Depending on what Joy Beckman, the director of the museum, or Christa Joy, an academic curator, has planned, Mason usually installs or takes down art around campus.
From hanging up art in the library to plastering walls to organizing closets, Mason does it all. “It’s very eclectic in terms of what I’m doing. Not every day is the same,” he says. Although his role changes, Mason’s purpose stays the same. Ensuring everything from moving to packing art is completed on time, he helps with the efficiency of tasks.
Mason’s function within the museum also enhances his studies here at Beloit. Learning the formula on how to hang art, he uses that knowledge in his own artmaking. “I’ll just paint pedestals or paint walls and stuff. It’s not artistic painting, but it is still improving my motor skills in terms of painting,” says Mason.
Student positions on campus display a wide range of activities, but most notably the work resides at desks making the museum’s hands-on experience invaluable. As Mason works, he implements learned abilities to his related courses and outside life. “It’s mostly about the experience for me– being able to learn skills and then apply those in my next job and put those on my resume,” he says, noting the relevancy of his job’s tasks.
As one of the many individuals who contribute to the museum’s daily functions, Mason shares his role with two other students, including Marissa Wells’25. As a Media Studies major and Studio Arts minor, Marissa was recruited to work at the museum from Beckman herself.
After taking Beckman’s Art of Curating course last year Spring, Beckman invited Marissa to work at the museum. Also anticipating desk work, Marissa seemed surprised at the work she actually takes on now. “I found out that it was actually working more one-on-one, hands-on, with a bunch of the artifacts and everything in the museum. So I was really excited when I heard that,” Marissa says.
Sometimes working with files or reorganizing in general, Marrisa also gets to scour the art on campus to ensure the surrounding conditions are conducive for preservation. Describing her overall function in the museum, Marissa says, “I just kind of help the museum be more tidy, like reorganizing and then also making sure that [the museum] has good data on how its works of art are doing around campus– that they’re still sustainable.”
Growing her appreciation for art, these tasks help Marissa connect her studies to her work. “Some of the pieces of art I’ve seen during class, but now I’m actually handling them. Now, I’m actually looking at the file name and seeing how we got it into the museum, like who donated it or the dimensions or what it’s actually made out of. I think it’s definitely interesting and kind of brings to light more of the pieces of art that I’ve looked at,” she says. Building these connections from the classroom to work embodies the core of the museum’s mission.
More interested in the arts rather than an art career, Marissa dreams of being a part of a social media marketing team. So when her Digital Marketing course introduced a project combining art from the museum and media posting, she felt ecstatic. “I think what we’re doing in class right now kind of ties both the Wright Art Museum and my social media into each other. So I’m really enjoying this project,” Marissa says.
Combining their love of the arts with their student work, both Mason and Marissa dedicate their time to the museum’s operations. With this experience, they can apply their learned skills to their life outside of Beloit or attribute their learned knowledge from their studies to their work experience.
Featured Image taken by Oceana Estrada
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