Oglethorpe’s Lidia Labrada ’23 is among only 15 undergraduates selected for the next Mellon Summer Academy hosted at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. This is the third consecutive year an Oglethorpe student has been selected, and she will be accompanied by fellow Petrel Hayleigh Stonham ’22.
Lidia Labrada ‘23
During the week-long immersive experience, the students will learn about curatorial practices from Atlanta-area curators, participate in team exhibition workshops, research and present on a favorite collection object, study art museum audiences, and visit local art museums, artists’ studios, private collections, and galleries. Due to COVID-19, this year’s program has been postponed until next year.
Labrada’s initial interest in the program came after taking an Oglethorpe Core course, Art & Culture, during her first year.
“After jumping between majors, I found myself enjoying learning about the history or different artists, artworks, and the influence it has on everyday life, and I decided to take a chance and apply to the academy.”
The course was taught by Oglethorpe University Museum of Art Director Elizabeth Peterson, who was also a huge help in Labrada’s application to the academy.
“When I notified her about my interest in applying, she took time to sit down with me and gave me a rundown about the benefits and details about the program,” Labrada said of her professor.
The Art History major not only found her interest in art through her studies at Oglethorpe, but also through her own life experiences.
“As a Dream.US Scholar at Oglethorpe I have learned more about the influence of art and have regained a sense of my culture as well as been exposed to other cultures in my courses. I am proud of who I am and have grown to learn that my status doesn’t define me.”
“As a DACA-mented student, art became a powerful form of expression that I learned during my senior year in high school. I met powerful artists, like Yehimi Cambron, and had the opportunity to see the impact of visual art as a voice for undocumented students in Georgia,” she said.
“As a Dream.US Scholar at Oglethorpe I have learned more about the influence of art and have regained a sense of my culture as well as been exposed to other cultures in my courses. I am proud of who I am and have grown to learn that my status doesn’t define me.”
Students invited to the Mellon Summer Academy are eligible for consideration for the Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship, a highly selective, intensive two-year paid program that offers hands-on experience, specialized training, and mentoring in the curatorial profession for students from communities that are historically underrepresented in the museum field. Labrada has now passed the first hurdle to qualify for the fellowship. Opportunities like the Mellon Academy and Fellowship are typically offered to graduate-level students, making the Mellon Foundation program a unique learning experience for freshman and sophomore undergrads in the growing field of museum studies.
After the Summer Academy, the rising sophomore hopes to gain more knowledge on what it takes to work in a museum, as well as apply these new skills at an internship with OUMA in the near future.
While at Oglethorpe, Labrada has also been active in several student organizations, including (h)OLA, Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority, and OU Social Democrats.
