The Peggy Guggenheim Collection Welcomes Their Newest Intern

Mack Olmsted Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor/Asst. Production Editor

Manhattan College’s very own Lauren Driscoll is going overseas this summer to take part in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection internship program. The Guggenheim Collection partners with various educational institutions, usually universities and very selective colleges from all across the world.

MC has partnered with the program since 2019. Unfortunately, the program had to be suspended for two years due to COVID-19, but now it’s back for students to experience.

Driscoll said she is very grateful to be given the opportunity to become a part of the internship program. She first gained an interest in art through photography and filmmaking at a young age. She explained how photography and film, like other forms of art, are a gateway into society and really capture the world in a moment in time.

The Guggenheim Collection program has no application process and is catered to art history majors, especially those looking to be a part of an artistic profession. However due to the small number of art history majors at MC, sometimes the program extends to art majors and digital media art.

The museum holds a lot of value for artists and art admirers alike. According to Manhattan.edu, the museum is very meaningful and holds a lot of importance within the art history community.

“The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is among the most important museums in Italy for European and American art of the first half of the 20th century.”

Driscoll shared her thoughts about the trip ahead of her and how important it is for artists to learn from other artists’ pieces and really take away the work that went into them.

“As an artist and as an enthusiast of the arts, I like how it shapes society today, it reflects today’s modern world, and I just think it’d be an honor to learn and contribute to the team at the museum. So really, it’s just the collection in general. It is just something that I think is really important to to- day’s art and the world in general.” Driscoll said.

The process of choosing the students to participate in the program is done through the department of art history and digital Media Art. At the end of the fall semester, the department board talks about what students are graduating, and what students might be a good fit for the position, taking a lot of different factors into account, and come to an agreement on a student they think would make the best fit for the position.

Students who take the internship usually gain various skills working for the museum. They may work in the ticket office, guard galleries, work in the bookstore, work in the publication’s office and work directly with the director.

Director of the art history and digital media art department, Daniel Savoy, Ph.D., is in charge of the board that picks the students who take this internship position. He emphasizes on how significant the program is for students who are chosen and choose to participate.

“It’s a really glamorous place to be at the Grand Canal in Venice and the Guggenheim Museum for a month over the summer,” she said. “It looks fantastic on your resume. It’s a wonderful experience. You learn everything. You learn so much about every different department in a museum, you get real hands-on experience with people at a really high level in that industry…I think it’s had a huge impact.”

Driscoll is hoping to learn and gain life lessons during her time in Italy. She explains what she is looking to gain out of the experience and how it will improve her as an artist.

“I hope to get a broader understanding. It’s like I said, it’s one of the most important museums dedicated to both European and American art and I think being able to study abroad in Venice and be immersed in Renaissance culture, like the buildings, it’s all so beautiful, Everything. About that city is art. Being immersed in a culture like that and immersed in a museum that cultivates this unity between European and American art, I think will help really strengthen my knowledge of art and help me gain that broader understanding of different styles.”

Driscoll showed her gratitude to those who helped her gain where she is today. She is very grateful for everything she has learned at MC and is excited to see how the experience will improve her as an artist.

“I just want to thank the faculty here, especially Dr. Savoy. And my family, everyone who’s who has supported me because I never expected to have gotten this opportunity. And I guess I want to thank the people that believed in me along the way.”

Editor’s Note: Karen Flores did the reporting for the article.