Xuanrong Lu
Through its internship program, the FIA Curatorial Department creates professional opportunities for undergraduate- and graduate students seeking to enter the museum field. Several FIA interns have gone on to graduate programs in art history and have been employed by museums or art galleries. The internship is project-based so that the intern can begin and complete a task within a semester, which then can be listed as work product on their resume.
In summer 2016, Xuanrong Lu, a graduate student majoring in Arts Administration at the University of Michigan-Flint, interned with the department. Lu is from Guilin, China, with a scholarly interest in Chinese art. She curated the Art of Jade exhibition, now on view in the Ann K. Walch-Chan Gallery Decorative Arts Gallery (see pages 5–6). About her experience, Lu wrote, “Field practices at an institution like the FIA can be very beneficial for students majoring in art-related fields, and the experiences I’ve had in this museum has been especially meaningful. Collaborating with the FIA staff on the jade exhibition enabled me to go through the whole process of putting on an exhibition, from concept to installation. It also further enhanced my curatorial writing skills in English and my ability to put theoretical studies and object research into public art education via a logical narrative and visual presentation. The professional training, insightful discussions, and the care I received during my internship, all made the time I spent at the FIA, no doubt, among the most memorable in my life abroad.”
