My name is Sarah Purnell, and I’m a rising junior and GFA major. I had heard about the C. Grimaldis Gallery from several professors who have shown work there in the past, and called to inquire about positions. My supervisors, Peggy Chiang and Elspeth Walker, interviewed me and were very eager to take me on as an intern. The C. Grimaldis Gallery is a contemporary art gallery that shows sculpture and some two-dimensional work. It is the longest continually operating gallery in Baltimore, and this is its 40th year of operation. This made their “Summer ’17” show, as well as other large shows this year, particularly significant. My supervisor, Peggy Chiang, is the Associate Director of the gallery. She primarily manages day- to-day tasks, deals with clients and artists, and takes part in curating and installing exhibitions.
During my internship, I was
assigned a variety of responsibilities ranging from constructing shelves and
moving artwork, helping to install and curate exhibitions, archiving gallery
press, periodicals, and artist catalogues, and working during gallery openings.
I created spreadsheets to inventory our extensive collection of catalogues from
past shows and to log artwork that has been shelved for years. My supervisors
and I uncovered a multitude of interesting paintings, drawings, and press about
the gallery, and I became familiar with the art of contemporary artists that
have worked with the gallery. Watching Peggy, Elspeth, and Costas Grimaldis
discuss shows, which artists would be included, and how the work would be
curated was intriguing.
I met numerous artists during exhibitions, and have even worked with a few directly. I greatly assisted with installing (and assisted a little with curating) Hidenori Ishii’s show “undercurrent.” I also helped prepare for “Hundred Year Hand,” a joint show featuring Colin Van Winkle and Graham Collins, both of whom gave me some great insight on art school, being a working artist, and managing studio spaces. I learned a lot about the logistics of packing and shipping art, as well as handling and installing work in the gallery.
Learning about gallery
archivist/registrar work was very interesting. I am very proud of the
difference I helped make regarding organizing and inventorying artwork. Storage
spaces in the gallery that used to be full of unknown works are now neatly
organized, and the art is now all inventoried and accounted for. This
opportunity opened me up to the logistics of operating and working in an art
gallery, but it also shed light on the complex relationship between galleries
and artists, and prompted my interest in curating artwork. I look forward to
using the skills and knowledge I’ve attained at the C. Grimaldis gallery during
the rest of my time at MICA and beyond.
