Jules Wheaton '19, the Levinson Intern for campus engagement, talks about her experience as a Hood Senior Intern.
What do you do for your internship?
I am the Levinson Intern for campus engagement and work to help promote the Hood to students on campus. Leading up to the opening of the Hood, this means making sure students are aware of the reopening and getting excited about what they will get to see. After the Hood opens, I will help get students to come to the museum and make sure all students feel as though the museum is accessible and relevant to them.
Why were you interested in a Hood internship?
I've always been interested in working in museums but have never had the opportunity. While summer internships can provide great exposure, the Hood internship is a longer commitment, which allows interns to learn a lot and become part of the regular happenings at the museum.
What has been your favorite moment of the internship so far?
So far, it has been walking around the galleries while the spaces are in the process of reinstallation. I've always loved museums and getting to walk around as pieces have just been put up and as plastic coverings are coming off after months of construction was really exciting.
What is your Space for Dialogue show about and why did you pick this topic?
My Space for Dialogue is about engravings, William Hogarth, and copyright law. I am a double major in political philosophy and art history, so I am interested in the restrictions the government places on art and how artists react to regulations, or the lack of regulation, concerning art. I have studied Hogarth prints before and thought the popularity of his prints and his desire to control his business, which was often under the control of printers, not authors or artists, would be an interesting topic related to copyright law.
What was your first encounter with art at Dartmouth?
One of my first encounters with art at Dartmouth was at the Hood, when I came in for a class during the winter term of 2016. We saw Eric Aho's Ice Cuts, which I loved and still think about a lot to this day. Aho paints the Finnish practice of holes cut into ice above a body of water to immerse oneself in after spending time in the heat of a sauna. I loved the soft geometry of the freezing cuts he made and the bright blues and teals alongside stark white of the snow and ice. I also thought it was the coolest thing ever to have class inside a museum and knew I wanted that to happen again.
If you could borrow one object to display in your living room, what would it be?
If I could borrow one object from the collection to display, it would be Lilac and Orange over Ivory by Mark Rothko (1903-1970). Not only would the size be impressive in a home, I think the colors are absolutely beautiful. The choice of colors reminds me of my mom's decorative decisions in our adobe home in New Mexico. Our kitchen has sage greens and bright orange, our living room slate and moody red. The two colors in this painting are unexpected to be together, especially in contrast with the background that is more neutral.