School of Art alumna Shelby Bennett.
School of Art alumna Shelby Bennett ’23 was awarded the prestigious Dedo and Barron Kidd McDermott Intern Fellow for European Art at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA). The museum offers a limited number of internships each year for recent graduates or emerging professionals to explore a career in the fine arts.
While completing her Master of Arts in Art History, Bennett’s advisor informed her about the unique internship program.
“I was thrilled to learn that this year’s Intern Fellow for European Art would focus on nineteenth-century art because that is my area of expertise,” explains Bennett.
She then interviewed to ensure the position was a good fit and was later offered the role just before graduation in May.
Bennett will assist with the research and interpretation of the European Art collection of paintings and sculptures. Her daily tasks will include writing acquisition justifications and assisting curators with assessments of the general collection.
“I look forward to working alongside and learning from the world-class curators at the Dallas Museum of Art,” said Bennett.
Q&A with Bennett
Bennett will assist with the research and interpretation of the European Art collection.
What made you want to pursue your area of study?
I study the art of nineteenth-century France. The nineteenth century was a dynamic period of social, political and artistic changes that continue to resonate with our modern lives. I hope that sharing this art and history with the public in a museum gallery inspires viewers to reflect on our current social, political and artistic moment.
How have your studies and time at TCU prepared you for this role?
The better question would be how my time at TCU hasn’t prepared me for this role! My coursework deepened my art historical knowledge and methodological framework, my thesis work sharpened my research skills, and my year-long internship at the Kimbell Art Museum exposed me to hands-on curatorial work.
What are your career goals?
My goal is to be a curator of European Art at a major museum! It is still a long road ahead, but my time at TCU, the Kimbell, and soon the DMA are all important milestones to helping me achieve this goal.