This past summer, senior Abbey Wineglass joined the growing community of LMU students involved in the coveted Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship. Wineglass’s journey to the internship was driven by her profound love of art history and her desire to narrow down her potential career options, hopeful to find positions that would inspire personal growth.
Wineglass describes herself as having a deep passion for a number of creative outlets, including painting, animation, and art history. However, her areas of interest and expertise go beyond art; with a double major in art history and animation and a minor in Asian and Pacific Studies, she is simultaneously completing her animation and history theses. After hearing members of the Getty speak at LMU last January, Wineglass was encouraged by her advisor to apply to the program, as it seemed it would be a great fit. “I am blessed to have a deep passion towards my creative outlet and want to learn more about art in today’s society,” she shared.
Throughout the course of her summer internship, Wineglass was exposed to various departments at the Getty. Assigned to work specifically with the Getty Foundation, she gained experience collaborating with the communications and grants administration departments, contributing data analysis regarding the programs that the Getty provides. A key aspect of her work, Wineglass describes, was providing weekly demographical data. “I had weekly meetings with my supervisors to discuss my capstone project, which provided Black demographics for the Getty Foundation as a way to encourage more diversity within the Foundation’s programs and initiatives.”
Reflecting back on her summer, Wineglass felt that a standout event was the program’s annual Art Summit, in which she played a pivotal role. Wineglass was given the opportunity to organize and attend dress rehearsals by assisting in the preparation efforts for the day-long conference. “The Getty Foundation will invite several guest speakers and colleagues who are working in various spaces in the museum world to come together and share their experiences in and out of undergraduate,” she shared. “It was extremely exciting to meet and connect with people that are applying their knowledge and experiences in the working world.”
Overall, Wineglass’s experience at The Getty provided her with not only a stronger sense of the museum world and direction for her post-graduation career plans, but also meaningful relationships. “The connections and relationships I made were the most meaningful aspects I encountered while interning at the Getty,” Wineglass said. “I felt extremely welcomed by my supervisors and their co-workers.”
As she approaches the end of her undergraduate career, Wineglass credits her internship with sharpening her leadership skills. Having been formerly involved in leadership positions for BSU, ASLMU, and the RA community, Wineglass was no stranger to guiding a group. This summer, she got the chance to hone her skills and gain professional leadership experience off campus, preparing her for wherever life after LMU may take her. “College is a time to really explore your interests and open up to new experiences. If you feed your mind with various opportunities, you will learn more about yourself.”