Meet our spring 2024 interns, who have just finished up their internships at the Phillips. Read about what they worked on over this past semester. Thank you, Anissa, Erich, Megan, and Natalia!
Spring 2024 interns
Anissa Santos, The George Washington University
Anissa Santos is a graduating second-year MA student in The George Washington University’s Museum Studies program. With a concentration in Exhibitions and Visitor Experiences, she has extensive training in research and curatorial writing and experience in museum evaluation, programming, DEAI implementation, and content creation. As a first-generation, Latina graduate student, she believes strongly in the importance of establishing Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion practices in the museum field and establishing relationships and trust with local and cultural communities. As the Spring DEAI Intern at The Phillips Collection, mentored by Shelby Bergstresser and Dr. Yuma Tomes, she has conducted research on neurodivergent resources and experiences in museums in order to develop and pilot TPC’s new sensory bags (now available at the Information Desk). She is very excited and hopeful about the future of accessibility and inclusion for current and future TPC visitors. After graduation, she will be returning to her hometown, Los Angeles, CA, and hopes to work at any museum in education, public programming, curatorial research, or DEAI. If you would like to connect with her, please send an email or LinkedIn message her way!
Erich Brubaker, Northern Virginia Community College
Erich Brubaker (they/he), served as the Public Programming Intern, mentored by Head of Public programs Ashley Whitfield, supporting public events and community engagement projects, including Curator Talks, Third Thursdays, Creative Seedlings, and the Bonnard Salons. Their main projects included devising adult craft activities for Phillips after 5 in March and April, supporting administrative function and event execution in the Public Programming department, writing blog posts related to the Bonnard Salon programs, and arranging a community partnership with a local organization dedicated to the sustainable reuse of leftover crafting supplies. Erich is about to finish an Associate Degree in Art History at Northern Virginia Community College. They already hold a Certificate in Historic Preservation, and plan to pursue a Bachelor’s in Art History in 2025. They currently spend a lot of their free time visiting museums (over 100 globally since moving to the DC area in 2017), watching TV or Studio Ghibli movies, eating good food, drinking tea, and snuggling with their cat Kumo.
Megan Sommerfield, The George Washington University
“Like Duncan Phillips, I’m from Pittsburgh, so I learned at a young age about his family and the incredible art museum they built. Then, I attended Purdue University, where I quickly fell in love with art history. As the Collections Intern for Purdue Galleries, I solidified my interest in museum work as a professional career. When I began my masters in museum studies at George Washington University, The Phillips Collection was the first place I sought out jobs. I have now had the honor to work here as the Library and Archive Intern, mentored by Juli Folk and Amanda Acosta, which allowed me to find my true passion in the museum field, archival work. Archives are home to some of our most precious treasures and information, and I want to play an active role in preserving them for generations to come.”
Natalia Georges, The George Washington University
“Originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and of Lebanese descent, I am currently a first-year graduate student at George Washington University, specializing in Marketing. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Suffolk University, and I have had the privilege of being mentored by Renee Littleton as the Marketing and Communications Intern. During my internship, my main objectives were to deepen my understanding of art movements and to enhance my marketing skills within the cultural sector. Throughout my internship, I engaged in several key initiatives, including: data analysis and strategic insights (compiling and analyzing daily and weekly sales reports); content development for an upcoming social media interview series; curate the museum’s Fodor’s Travel “30 Best Museums in Washington” feature; press relations and branding (developing press kits for Bonnard’s Worlds and participate in the press preview); community and partnership engagement (initiated outreach to restaurant partners to analyze discount utilization, organizing activities tailored to seniors from Iona Senior Services); French institutions outreach (led a successful email campaign targeting over ten French cultural and educational entities to promote Bonnard’s Worlds); marketing strategy development for the upcoming Multiplicity exhibition. I joined the Phillips with the goal of learning about art history, curatorial practices, and to refine my digital marketing skills. I am proud to say that I have not only met these goals but also contributed meaningfully to projects that have expanded my expertise and fueled my passion for integrating marketing with the arts.”