Art History

Summer 2010 – Sara Kornhauser

Eli Wilner

This summer I worked for Eli Wilner framing company in New York City. They have a gallery which houses their antique frames and an offsite studio space where reproduction frames are made as well antique frames are restored. I started with finishes–learning about the different layers that can be applied to the gilded frame to give depth and character to the color. Next, I learned how to guild and burnish frames.I also learned about the different layers of gesso and clay that are applied before the frame is gilded as well as how the clay and gilding water are prepared. I tried my hand at woodcarving, working with the master caver who was a 3rd generation carver from Ecuador.   I also learned about the process of restoring antique frames and made molds of frame sections that would be attached to loses on frames. In my final week at the studio I made my own small frame from start to finish.

Summer 2010 – Madeline Turner

Spider by Louise Bourgeoise

Before this past June, I really had no knowledge of contemporary art. I thought I couldn’t understand it and, therefore, I often chose not to deal with it. However, over the summer I had the amazing opportunity to immerse myself and develop my appreciation for the contemporary art world.  This immersion I speak of took place at the DIA:Beacon in upstate New York. At DIA, I interned for the education department and helped develop a proposal for a revamped tour plan for K-12 students. Our primary goal in creating this new tour was to make sure that we would never lecture the students. The artists exhibited at DIA, which include powerhouses Louise Bourgeoise, Andy Warhol, Michael Heizer, and Donald Judd, have created works that can take on so many different meanings to different viewers, that we decided the best way to let the students view the work was by emphasizing the individual experience. One of my favorite moments at DIA occurred when I was observing a tour for a group of eight year-olds. They just seemed to get it. The kids interacted with, played around, and experimented with works like Fred Sandback’s yarn installations and Richard Serra’s Torqued Ellipses. This singular experience and my experience at DIA as a whole exposed me to the idea that art is really for anybody as long as he or she has an open mind. This coming fall I will be continuing my work with the museum by guiding tours every Saturday. I am so grateful for not only having had this summer experience, but also for finding a place that will help me continue to grow as a member of the art world.