Michelle Niedergeses ’06

Student Intern

Internship: Spring 2004
Site: Department of Museum Learning and Public Programs, Museum of Fine Arts
Location: Boston, Mass.

Hometown: Birmingham, Ala.
Major: History and Culture with an Art/Museum Studies concentration

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Internship: Department of Museum Learning and Public Programs, Museum of Fine Arts

“I feel good at the end of the day,” reports sophomore Michelle Niedergeses of Birmingham, Alabama, when asked about her spring 2004 internship. “I go home knowing that I’ve done something good, something that makes a difference.”

Niedergeses, a History and Culture major, with an Art/Museum Studies concentration, signed on at Boston’s foremost art museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, as an Accessibility Intern, part of a team of people dedicated to creating a physical and educational environment available to everyone. She is responsible for researching, developing, and writing tours for the Feeling for Form Program, designed for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. “The highlight of my internship,” Niedergeses reports, “is the smile on someone’s face when I am giving a tour.”

For the spring textile exhibit, “Draped in Dragons: Chinese Court Costumes of the Qing Dynasty,” Niedergeses compiled a training manual for accessibility guides. It included her verbal descriptions of the artwork and tactile/activity descriptions, as well as basic research she had compiled on the history of the Qing Dynasty, comparative fashion studies, and embroidery techniques. Niedergeses taught others how to lead the tour, then expanded it to be part of the museum’s Access to Art Program, designed for adults with cognitive learning disabilities, autism, and other mental and physical handicaps. She chose objects that can be seen from a wheelchair and incorporated movement and theatrical exercises into the tour.

Niedergeses hopes to work eventually as a college professor or museum curator. “My internship has reiterated my desire, as an educator, to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to learn and broaden his or her intellectual and creative horizons,” she commented. She is well on her way to fulfilling her career dreams: the MFA recently hired her for a part-time, paid position as an educator within the Accessibility Department.

When asked about other ways her internship has helped, Niedergeses replied, “As an artist and art historian, I cannot look at art as I did before my internship. When I look at a work of art now, I think, ‘How would I verbally describe this piece? Would I focus more on the emotion conveyed by the iconography or on the dynamic composition of the piece? What tactile activities would I design to follow up the verbal description? How would I recreate this artwork using movement and music?’ By contemplating these questions, innumerable intrinsic details of the art become clearer to me, and I see it in a new perspective. I am now a stronger communicator and interpreter of art in a different light.”

Associate Professor of Art History William Stargard adds, “Michelle’s work at the museum connects closely to her Art and Museum Studies concentration in the History Culture major. Michelle’s understanding of various periods in the history of art, as well as of individual artists and artistic techniques, has expanded considerably during her time at the museum. Moreover, Michelle is applying her knowledge of art history in the realm of public service. Her socially responsible work, aimed at providing all visitors to the MFA with the opportunity to partake in the beauty of art, is a profound reflection of the mission of Pine Manor College.”

As Niedergeses anticipates her remaining two years of college, she is glad she chose Pine Manor. “PMC has given me the flexibility to pursue my artistic endeavors, which I had long been neglecting,” she says. “Also, I wanted to get my degree in a close community of diverse women, and Pine Manor excels in that definition.”

When asked if she has advice for prospective students, Niedergeses offered: “Step out into the world, and experience the many options it has for you. I’ve done that through community service. Through volunteering, you meet and befriend new people and gain a greater understanding of others and yourself.”