Getty Highlights Interns in ‘Our Voices, Our Getty: Reflecting on Drawings’ Exhibition

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

A new exhibition is now on display at Getty Center, highlighting personal and creative interpretations about drawings from the Getty Museum collection written by interns who worked at the center as well as the Getty Villa.

The exhibition, “Our Voices, Our Getty: Reflecting on Drawings,” which is on display through April 30, is curated by Edina Adam, assistant curator of drawings at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

“We invited the 2022 Marrow Undergraduate Interns who spent their summer at Getty to participate in our first-ever exhibition involving wall labels written exclusively by interns,” Adam said in a statement. “Each intern selected a different drawing to interpret, and it was astounding to read the richness of responses—some sentimental and nostalgic and others more contemplative and at times foreboding.”

Twenty-three interns, who came from a variety of Southern California colleges, were given the opportunity to examine a “wide selection of drawings from the collection” in order to “choose an artwork that resonated with them.”

“When I learned my words would be on the wall of the museum, I immediately pictured the joy of bringing family and friends to the Getty to show them why I chose to dedicate my education and career to the arts,” said Jessica Jurado, a student at California State University, Northridge. “The experience of writing a personal interpretation challenged me to look at the artwork beyond the lens of an art historical perspective and tune in to the aspects of the work that captured my attention. I hope this exhibition will demonstrate to viewers that their thoughts on art matter, and art is for everyone.”

The internship program, which dates back to 1993, provides paid, full-time work opportunities each summer at Getty, as well as dozens of other arts organizations and museums across the county. The program is focused on “undergraduate students from backgrounds that have traditionally been underrepresented in arts institutions.”

“In addition to participating in this exhibition, each of last summer’s interns spent their 10-week experience working on a variety of substantive projects,” the statement continued. “These ranged from exhibition research and digital video production to serving as assistant line producer for the Getty Villa’s summer theater production.”

For more information, or to plan a visit, visit getty.edu.