Intern Spotlight: Kathryn Heine

In this series, we profile our interns. Phillips interns are an integral part of the museum and work that we do in several different departments: curatorial, education, music, communications and marketing, and more. Our incredible interns also help with our Sunday Concerts, Phillips after 5, and other special events. This semester welcomed our first group of paid interns, part of our institutional values and commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. 

Kathryn Heine, photographed by Kabrea Hayman in front of Alma Thomas, Breeze Rustling Through Fall Flowers, 1968, Acrylic on canvas, 57 7/8 x 50 in., The Phillips Collection, Gift of Franz Bader, 1976

Which department are you interning for? Library and Archives.

What is your internship project? I am working to complete or creating Exhibition History accounts on all The Phillips Collection’s shows by combing through primary sources for the first exhibitions in the early 1920s and making physical folders for the more recent exhibitions. This includes tracking down fact sheets, checklists, wall and text tables, education materials, press kits, press clippings, audio transcripts, and installation photographs.

What do you do when you’re not at the Phillips? I am getting my masters in Art History at American University, with a focus on European Modern Art. My particular interest is in German Expressionism and I have been working on researching Gabriele Münter and Marianne von Werefkin, two talented artists that have not been appreciated nearly enough! I am currently applying for travel grants and am hoping to travel to Germany this summer to further this research for my thesis. I am slated to graduate spring 2020. I am also a volunteer Gallery Guide at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

What is your favorite space/painting here? Alma Thomas’s Breeze Rustling Through Fall Flowers. I could stare at this painting all day, the colors, the form, the movement all conjure up emotions of joy and although brightly colored, feelings of serenity. Such a beautiful work by such a talented woman.

If you were to describe the Phillips in one word, what would that word be? Friendly.

What is a fun fact about you? In my spare time, you can find me in a darkroom. I love shooting on 35mm film and printing in the darkroom at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.

Why did you want to intern at a museum? I have interned at a couple of museums in the past, but have always been drawn to the Phillips and its collection. I also love visiting art museum libraries, and the Phillips has a special one! Making the museum (and its library) more accessible to the general public is a shared interest that I have with this museum.

Anything else you’d like to share? I’m constantly trying to debunk Linda Nochlin’s famous essay, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?”