Wellesley College: a Growing Friendship

One of the main priorities of the House of Lobkowicz is to create and strengthen links with students and researchers in the fields of history and art. For example, we have been cooperating with the prestigious Wellesley College, located near Boston, in the state of Massachusetts, for nine years.

Every year we select two students who, during an eight-week stay in the summer, are given the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the functioning of a non-profit art institution by participating in practical curatorial activities, including research and care for historical objects. In addition, they are also involved in the activities of other departments, including communication and marketing. The experience they take away at the end of their stay will - we believe - help them significantly in their future careers. In 2023, we welcomed Gabriela Awad, a Studio Art and Middle Eastern Studies graduate, and Kay Gonzalez-Ramirez, a Physics and Art student whose dream is to find a job that combines these fields.

Among their activities, Kay and Gabriela helped us by preparing a new sightseeing circuit at Roudnice Castle, and by cataloging objects from the Antonín Dvořák Birth House. In the marketing department, they were given the opportunity to design a flyer, prepare posts for social media, and experience firsthand what it's like to film an interview and appear in front of the camera.

Here’s what Gabriela had to say about what she enjoyed most on our program: “I've found that my experiences during this internship in curation and preservation have been especially interesting. As an artist, it's exciting to see what happens when the work leaves the studio and becomes part of a museum. I've come to realize that the job of curators and conservators is just as important as the role of the artist creating the work - after all, it's their responsibility to maintain the work's legacy.”