Art Department, Santa Barbara City College

Atkinson Gallery Annex

ATKINSON GALLERY INTERN CURATORIAL PROJECT

The Atkinson Gallery has proudly been a part of the Santa Barbara and SBCC community for the last thirty years, providing us with an exceptional rotation of artwork. It is not only viewed by the public, but also serves as an educational facility for the community and students in the art department.

As the gallery continues to expand so have the opportunities. In the last two years the gallery has been fortunate enough to acquire an intern program granted by the Santa Barbara Foundation.
During this program the intern is exposed to the alternative side of the art world not commonly seen by the public or even the artists. The internship, guided by the ATKINSON GALLERY director Dane Goodman, is a way for the student to experience first hand what goes on behind the scenes. It teaches everything from art history, preparing exhibitions and hanging artwork, to public relations.
As many artists know, learning comes from experience, and from that we have formulated a small curatorial project for the intern. This project is designed to teach the intern how to formally apply the information they are learning to curate an exhibition. It involves selecting and working with the artist, preparation and promotion, as well as the implication of a curatorial eye in hanging the show. The intern will be assigned two projects one for each semester, and the exhibitions will run for the length of each term. This opportunity will allow the educational process of the program to strengthen and expand, giving the intern a further understanding in the world of a curator.