Emily Rodriguez ’20, an Art History and English & Comparative Literature double major, is one step closer to living her dream of becoming an art museum curator.

Emily Rodriguez ’20

This semester, she is the Collections Intern at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA), located just a few miles from campus down Peachtree Road.

In her position, this Oglethorpe senior is exposed to multiple facets of working in a museum, including handling the artwork, reporting on the conditions of the pieces, helping behind the scenes of exhibits, and making website updates.

According to Rodriguez, working at a smaller museum like MOCA has given her more hands-on experiences than would be possible at a larger museum. As a result, she can work directly with artists featured in the museum’s exhibitions and collection. Interestingly, among those artists in MOCA’s permanent collection, Rodriguez points out, is Oglethorpe art professor Alan Loehle.

John Tilford, curator of collections at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, was one of Rodriguez’s most helpful resources in preparing for the internship. Every day, she is putting what she has learned in Tilford’s Curatorial Practices course into real-world application. Prof. Jessica Handler also played a significant role, helping Rodriguez create her resume and serving as a reference on her application.

I want to do Oglethorpe proud!

“Oglethorpe is small enough to build those relationships with your professors,” said Rodriguez. “They actually want to help out and make connections.”

On campus, the soon-to-be graduate is a teaching assistant for the Art History department, a co-founder of Oglethorpe’s chapter of the International English Honors Society Sigma Tau Delta, and a member of the Art Club. She also has served as the Editor & Chief of The Tower literary magazine.

The reputation of Oglethorpe interns preceded Rodriguez, with one MOCA official sharing that the museum “always had such good results with Oglethorpe students.” Rodriguez intends to uphold that reputation.

“I want to do Oglethorpe proud!”