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No Comments [ Add Comment ]Uncommon Curator
By Deanne WintertonName: Monika Del Bosque
Employer: Weber State University
Position/title: Gallery director
Typical day: As a museum curator, Del Bosque researches, writes about and plans museum exhibitions. She also serves as a registrar, cares for museum collections and directs day-to-day functions and maintenance.
She oversees and trains curating assistants and interns, and tracks budgets, among other duties. In addition, she raises funds for future exhibitions, and networks with other university faculty and employees, museum professionals and community members.
"My days are never boring," Del Bosque said. "In my off-time, I am often reading about other artists and artists' work, and attending gallery openings and exhibitions at other institutions."
Training: Del Bosque received a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts from John F. Kennedy University, where she also earned a master's degree in fine arts and a certificate in museum collections management.
Motivation: Her career got a jump-start when she saw her first Van Gogh as a child at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Calif.
"This experience, combined with working in a museum as an undergrad, led me to look at ways that I could combine my fine arts training and skills as a practicing artist, with something practical and marketable," she said. "Working in a university gallery allows me to be an arts educator and an advocate for the arts."
Work history: Del Bosque joined Weber State in July 2006. She previously worked at the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University and History San Jose in San Jose, Calif. She also ran her own business, Behind the Scenes Fine Art Services.
Favorite aspect of the job: Working with students of all ages, developing outreach programs with the community, researching and writing for educational programming, meeting and interacting with other artists and museum professionals, and developing and designing exhibits.
Least favorite aspect of the job: Juggling various responsibilities and working long hours can be difficult, she said.
"I don't find it as creatively feeding to do accounting and track budgets," Del Bosque said. "This is often a thankless job."
Greatest challenge: "My position is really many positions rolled into one," she said. "This requires me to let go of certain expectations I have about how much I can accomplish in one day and one exhibition year."
Functioning with limited funds is also a challenge.
Career aspirations: "I enjoy curating and teaching, and see myself continuing in a position where I can do both without the administrative responsibilities," Del Bosque said.
Advice: "Get experience in the field by volunteering or interning," Del Bosque said. "Most museum studies programs will not accept a student if they haven't had any experience in the field already."
Strong writing skills are important in the field, as is a willingness to relocate.
"Don't let age stop you," she said. "This is a field that values life experience and is very open to people from all walks and stages of life."
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