KOREA FOUNDATION

KF Museum Internship

I have served as an intern at the Curatorial and Collections Department of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA), University of Oregon, since October 2017. My work can be summed up as follows:
  Firstly, I conducted detailed research on the works of Elizabeth Keith collected by the JSMA. Thanks to the efforts of Gertrude Warner—the founder-director of the museum, and a collector in her own right—the JSMA boasts the world’s largest collection of Keith’s work. Many of Keith’s creations feature Joseon in the early 20th century, and they frequently take center stage when the JSMA’s Korean collection goes on display. I was tasked with finding the technical Korean terms for the traditional Korean attire and objects appearing in Keith’s drawings, paintings, and prints. I included the Korean terms and their English translations side by side, and added them to the museum database. I likewise researched the folding screens used as backgrounds in Keith’s work, identified the original artworks featured on the screens, and documented their full deions in the database.
  Secondly, I served as a liaison between the JSMA and Korean galleries, assisting the museum in acquiring the works of Korean artists that were introduced at the Miami Beach Scope Art Fair. I dealt with the Korean galleries and artists concerning all matters related to purchases, and when I received invoices, I uploaded them onto the university’s financial records system. As the museum committee proceeded with plans to purchase the artworks, I served as the point of communication between the museum and the artists and galleries.
  Thirdly, I helped Anne Rose Kitagawa, the Chief Curator of collections and Asian art at the museum, draw up a rough plan for new exhibitions of Korean art to be staged this year. As part of our preparations, we reviewed the works both currently and previously on display, and deliberated on which of the unseen works in our collection would best represent the face of Korea.
  Finally, I assisted with cataloguing the Chinese contemporary artworks on display at the museum, updating the listings and correcting any errors contained within. Through this process I learned a great deal about the complex art of museum cataloguing.
  Ms. Kitagawa and a former intern further introduced me to a Korean member of staff at the Portland Art Museum, which is located only a short distance from the JSMA. The Korean staff member is in charge of Asian exhibitions, including Korean and Chinese art, and gave me a tour of the museum, including the special shows commemorating the 125th anniversary of the museum’s founding and the 20th anniversary of its Korean art collection. Though Eugene and Portland are close geographically, the atmosphere of the two museums felt altogether different. Perhaps this is because the JSMA, being located within the University of Oregon, is more focused on education, while the Portland Art Museum targets the general public and is broader in its approach.
  Through these and other activities during my internship thus far, I have learned a great deal about the inner workings of museums, and I will continue to strive to make the most of my time here in Oregon.

•   Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon
•   Kim Chaewon