Winslow Homer (American, 1836 – 1910), “Art-Students and Copyists in the Louvre Gallery, Paris” (detail from Harper’s Weekly January 11, 1868). Woodcut, 10 1/4 × 15 9/16 inches (sheet). Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia; The Andrew Ladis and William Underwood Eiland Collection; Gift of William Underwood Eiland in memory of Thomas Brumbaugh and in honor of Olen Bryant. GMOA 2012.433.
I recently stumbled across a wonderful print by Winslow Homer that appeared in the January 1868 issue of Harper’s Weekly. It shows art students in a gallery bursting with natural light that streams down through the enormous skylights at the Louvre in Paris. They hone their craft by copy- ing works of art hung in classic “salon style” fashion, adorning the entire wall from the very bottom all the way up to the ceiling. (Our own salon-style display in the Nancy Cooper Turner Gallery is popular with visi- tors.) Copying masterworks is a time-honored aspect of art training. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has been operating its Copyist Program since 1872, just a few years after Homer’s above-mentioned print was pub- lished. According to the Met, that program allows artists to engage in “intensive technical study, deep observa- tion, and encourages sustained engagement” with origi- nal works of art as they develop their own work. Seeing the Homer print made me appreciate the conti- nuity and long tradition of study and training that has taken place in art museums since the 19th century. But it also prompted me to think about how much we have changed from those early days. Although we continue to emphasize the value of intimately studying origi- nal works of art, the museum field has become highly professionalized and specialized. An ever-expanding roster of niche positions includes curators, educators, designers, registrars, preparators and conservators, not to mention posts that rely on expertise in security, hu- man resources and financial management. In short, art museums have become complex, modern organizations. Over time, we have expanded our areas of study and expertise accordingly.
As part of the University of Georgia, the Georgia Muse- um of Art’s commitment to education is paramount. We want all students, not just developing artists and art majors, to benefit from studying our collections. That is why we have been so excited to expand our work with students and faculty to cover 29 different departments. And thanks to generous funding from William Parker, we now offer a student guide program, which provides paid training to undergraduates from any discipline at UGA so that they can learn to give public tours and share their discoveries with all our audiences. Thanks to Anne and Bill Newton, the Benevity Fund and the Parents Leadership Council, all our student interns have been paid for their work at the museum since last fall, making this important experience available to as wide a range of students as possible. We see our commitment to education as extending beyond the classes we teach to encompass junior col- leagues seeking museum experience and professional development. We want the museum to become a hub of opportunity for those looking to build careers in the museum field. To that end, we are delighted that an anonymous donor has supported the William J. Thomp- son Fellowship in American Art, which will provide high-level research and curatorial experience to an aspiring curator starting later this year. We are looking forward to further expanding these opportunities in the months and years ahead.
David Odo, Director
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