After a magical seven months, my internship at Casa Loma is drawing to a close. Thanks to my supervisor, Alyssia, my expectations for my internship were well-surpassed and I feel like I'm walking away with so many new experiences and skills. I can't say I'll miss taking three flights of stairs at 9am to get to the curator's office, but everything else is difficult to say goodbye to.
Initial Learning Objectives
In my Internship Action Plan, I listed that I wanted to gain hands-on experience with artifacts, as well as gain experience in exhibition installation. I had hoped I might be allowed to handle an artifact here or there, and be allowed to watch a new exhibit be planned. Alyssia was proactive in allowing me to get extensive experience, rather than simply stand back and watch. In my work cataloguing books in Casa Loma's collections, Alyssia taught me the proper way to handle these objects to minimize potential for dropping or damaging. Once I had the basics, it was off to the races. Every week I was able to handle anywhere from 50-100 antique books, some dating back to the early 19th century. When working on the installation for a new exhibit in collaboration with the 2 Intelligence Company Senate, I was also afforded a very hands-on experience. Quite literally, my hands got stained from the wire I used to create mounts for bullets that were added to the exhibit. In my previous museum experience, I found many were hesitant to allow me to do much more than watch and observe and I was delighted to be thrust into interactive work at Casa Loma. As a result, I feel that I have learned much more about object handling, cataloguing, and exhibit install than I would have had Alyssia not advocated for me to get involved.
Strengthening my Understanding of Material Culture
I found that my understanding and connection of material culture concepts has been deepened due to my internship. Seeing theories I had learned about in class applied in daily museum work was very affirming and also afforded me new perspectives. For example, concept that really resonated with me in my work at Casa Loma was the "afterlife" of an object. This concept is explored in Writing Material Culture ed. Gerritsen and Riello. Essentially, an object goes through many life stages, and maintenance is the afterlife of an object, often undertaken by conservators and curators. At Casa Loma, I got to see which of the artifacts in the collection needed this attention and care most direly, and how attending to its "afterlife" helped reveal information about the object's previous lives. The collection at Casa Loma is immense and complicated. Having changed hands many times, many objects have little to no provenance. Part of my work was to go through existing object records so Alyssia could cross-reference which objects we had information about and which we did not. Though the "past lives" of many of these objects have yet to be revealed to us, museum workers are entrusted with their "afterlives". This is a fascinating concept on paper, but felt much more real and applicable when I was holding a book with no accession number, or looking at an object record for a pair of gloves that had evidence of having been mended by a careful owner half a decade ago.
I was also very fortunate to have Alyssia as my supervisor because she is a graduate from this internship course herself and has a strong understanding of material culture. She was a very wonderful teacher and patient with my many questions, which enriched my experience all the more.
Highlights and Takeaways
For the sake of brevity, the highlights from my internship are as follows:
>Cataloguing books in the library. This work was done when the museum was closed to the public, which afforded me a unique experience! I was encouraged to be curious about these books and take my time flipping through their pages and investigating inscriptions, which is what inspired my final research project
>Learning about the perils of conservation. In particular, what a menace carpet beetles are. Immediately after learning about this, Alyssia found a giant one in her office and it quickly suffered a brutal death at her hand. I learned curators must be knowledgeable, resourceful, and wage a constant war against pests.
>Helping with the installation of the 2 Intelligence Company Senate Museum. I initially worked on object records for the artifacts that were going to be put on display and by the end of my internship those objects were behind glass. It was wonderful to see all the work that goes into an exhibit and see the project go from blueprint to reality.
>Learning more about Casa Loma's history. The castle is one of Toronto's top tourist destinations, but the last time I had visited it I was 10 and did not yet have a very refined understanding of heritage. I was able to learn so much about the castle's history, both from Alyssia and during my own research, which was very satisfying. I feel like I am coming away with a deeper understanding of Toronto history at large, because Sir Henry Pellatt's story is intertwined with Toronto's.
Closing Thoughts
In summary, there is not much more I could have asked for from my internship, apart from more hours. I feel that I have a much deeper understanding of the diversity of museum work as well as the flexibility required of heritage workers in general. I now have experience working with objects records as well as some conservation skills. I feel that these skills will come in handy when I begin to apply for those coveted Young Canada Works positions, which often look for those with basic curating skills and an understanding of daily museum operations. I also find that I have a new appreciation for aspects of museums that I was previously unexposed to, namely accessibility in museums as well as what to do when faced with low-funding. In September I will be entering the iSchool's Masters of Museum Studies programs and my internship at Casa Loma has set me up well to enter the museological field. I am eternally grateful for the guidance of Alyssia, who was a dedicated and patient supervisor over the course of my internship.
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