A Summer at the Ross

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Josephine Buccini ('25), an English and History of Art double major, spent her summer as an intern at the Arthur Ross Gallery through the Summer Humanities Internship Program (SHIP).

This past summer, I developed many new skills through new experiences. At the start of my internship, I helped with publicity by compiling a list of local and national media outlets and community organizations. Later, I had the chance to learn by participating in strategy meetings with the gallery’s PR firm, Department PR. I also had the opportunity to help with different events, such as an event for the Africana Studies Institute Pre-Frosh Program and a Tea and Tour for gallery members. Managing the gallery’s social media was my most significant responsibility. It was also my favorite responsibility as I got to write, design, and be creative. I focused our posts to spotlight artists, announce events, highlight the exhibit, and “throwback” to historical shows. This strategy paid off, resulting in an over 50% increase in our reach, with over 4,000 accounts engaged in the last month. I loved leading this effort, combining my passion for storytelling with the gallery’s mission. Engaging with students and promoting the gallery’s role on campus was also a particular highlight for me, leading to my development of a student marketing plan. This involved creating stickers to pass out at events, which I designed, and proposing ideas for collaborations with student performances, events with student clubs, and “study break” events in the gallery during finals.

Through this experience, I also learned a lot about what I enjoy, dislike, and find interesting. For example, one of my projects was to archive and review 551 file folders from the last 41 years. While this could get boring and frustrating at times, it was rewarding to see the result. We sent 12 boxes of files and many books to Penn’s archives, which helped with the organization of the office. More so, I found some true gems in unassuming folders: press from the founding of the gallery, amazing artistic photos of important figures, and snapshots of past events and exhibits. Using what I found, I helped my mentor brainstorm and present a proposal for a mini-exhibit and digital storytelling project that will share the history of the gallery and look to the future. This gave me an appreciation for archives and hidden histories; it was all very worth it!

Overall, this summer has been an incredible learning experience. I wore many hats and gained insight into the inner workings of a university art gallery. I’m excited to say that my time with the Arthur Ross Gallery isn’t over yet, as I will be continuing to help with events and manage the gallery’s social media presence as a Digital Media Intern. I am very grateful to the whole Arthur Ross Gallery team, specifically Emily Zimmerman, Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, Elizabeth McClafferty, and Miranda Powell, for a fabulous summer and a lifetime of learning. I was always given incredibly thoughtful and important feedback, the chance to ask questions, and a platform to share my ideas. I feel like a valued member of the team and I appreciate and admire everyone’s kindness, intellect, and willingness to teach me so much.

Interested in reading more first-hand accounts about undergraduate research? Check out the other experiences featured on our Student News Page and Social Media!

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