Interning at the Museum of nonconformist art in St. Petersburg
At the Museum of Nonconformist art. Photo credit: Bellara Huang '21 (Russia, Bard-Smolny, spring 2020)
I decided to study in St. Petersburg, Russia during the spring of my junior year when I became really interested in 20th century Avant-Garde Russian art, after I declared my art history major. Being my second time living in St. Petersburg, I really wanted to experience participating in a community abroad. After arriving in St. Petersburg, I thought about what I wanted to spend my time doing, other than schoolwork, and I decided that I really wanted to meet and work with local artists.
At Exhibition Hall Manezh in St. Petersburg
I worked with Jackie, a career counselor at the Office for Career Services at Swarthmore who also studied abroad in Russia, and together, we researched art galleries and museums. We pulled my resume together in a new way (in Russian), and I basically just showed up at all these galleries, gave them my resume, and I eventually found an internship at the Museum of nonconformist art. There, I did a lot of translation work and was able to get to know locals in a new dimension—in the art world.
My experience abroad really informs my career and academic interests—after working at the Museum of nonconformist art, I hope to pursue a career in museums or cultural institutions. I spent so much time in the museum, having tea with different artists and discussing their work. Along with my classes and the city, my internship was by far my favorite part of my study abroad experience.
A selfie with my curator, my mentor at my internship at the Museum of nonconformist art.
