Student follows her dreams through Wichita Art Museum internship

Megan Gall, a senior majoring in art history, spent the summer as an intern at the Wichita Art Museum. Summer of 2018, Megan signed up to be a docent at the Wichita Art Museum. There she made connections with the curator, Tera Hedrick, and began to work under her as an intern.

Her internship gave her the opportunity to learn the inner workings of an art museum. She spent her days discussing ideas about the permanent collection and figured out how spaces will be set up.

“A lot goes into it like lighting and positioning, but we tried to tell a story by picking pieces that go together,” says Gall. Her responsibilities also consisted of writing labels, making lists of potential permanent collections, filing and cataloging.

The internship allowed Megan to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to be a curator.

“I met all the different workers that help run an art museum. I even met artists at events where they discussed their work,” says Megan. “Working in a museum, you work with a lot of people. You need good communication skills. Dr. Hedrick works with a lot of people just to get an exhibition started. You have to be a well-rounded person, be prepared to do a lot and talk to tons of people.”

Growing up with an artistic mother and brother allowed Gall to develop a love for art. Her love and understanding of art enabled her to study the culture and time that an artist lived in by interpreting their thoughts through each piece.

Gall began her time at Wichita State as a biology major, but she knew she was meant for something different. Once she decided to change, she wanted to choose a degree that interested her.

“You can be a nurse, doctor, teacher, lawyer, farmer or engineer, and you're stuck in this niche of what you're supposed to do,” says Gall.

After graduation, Gall hopes to get her master's in art history and see what kind of experience she can get before applying for Graduate School. Ultimately, she hopes to become a curator at an art museum.

“Do not let anyone get in the way of your dreams. A lot of people will tell you that an art degree is easy or an art degree is useless, and that is not the case,” says Gall.