Meet our spring 2023 interns, who recently completed their internships. 

Dedipta Bhattacharjee, The City College of New York

Dedipta Bhattacharjee is a senior at The City College of New York majoring in English, Asian Studies, and Publishing, with additional minors in Art History and Journalism. She is a Kaye Scholar, Isaacs Scholar, City College Fellow, NBCU Fellow, and Stanford/CUNY Humanities Research Program alumnus. Her research under the City College Fellowship pertains to the portrayal of South Asian women in literature and how literature acts as a medium to link history to the realities of women. Dedipta is passionate about women’s rights, environmental sustainability, and DEAI initiatives. In spring 2023, she worked at the Phillips as a DEAI intern with Horning Chair for DEAI Yuma Tomes and DEAI Manager Shelby Bergstresser, utilizing past and present archives to further the museum’s mission to bring more inclusivity and accessibility to art spaces. She designed graphics for the DEAI department, including a diversity statement poster.

Elissa Diaz, University of Toronto

Elissa Diaz is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto, having majored in Anthropology and Latin American Studies. She worked as a Curatorial Intern to expand her knowledge of museum practices and procedures, which included projects such as moving archival files from the Phillips’s Carriage House to the museum library and archives, meeting with artists to discuss potential collaborations, and conducting research for upcoming exhibitions. She plans to further her education in this field in the future. Elissa will be continuing her work here at The Phillips Collection as the Temporary Assistant to the Director of Contemporary Art Initiatives and Academic Affairs Vesela Sretenovic.

Abby Osborne, George Washington University

This is Abby Osborne’s second cycle with The Phillips Collection’s Marketing and Communications department., working with Director of Marketing and Chief Communications Officer Renee Littleton. Abby worked on draft pitches to journalists and media organizations, as well as creating marketing emails for the museum. She helped with community outreach, including the Phillips’s new business partnerships with restaurants and cafes in the neighborhood to offer discounts and specials to museum members and visitors. She also helped promote upcoming exhibitions and events throughout the community and updated mailing lists. She is a student at The George Washington University, double majoring in Art History and Political Communication.

Terrell Lawrence, Prince George’s Community College

Terrell Lawrence is currently in his last semester at Prince George’s Community College, majoring in general studies while also pursuing a certificate in human resources management. He will be transferring to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore next fall. It has been a great experience, working as the HR Intern with the Director of Human Resources Angela Gillespie and Senior Payroll and Human Resources Manager Gwen Young. He assisted with the Staff Appreciation Breakfast held for all staff in March, helped with the rollout of the spring 2023 Temporary Detail Opportunities, and assisted with the layout and testing of the Phillips’s new internal employee engagement platform.

Meet our fall 2022 interns, who have recently completed their internships. Applications for spring 2023 paid internships in the DEAI, HR, and Curatorial departments are now open!

Abby Osborne, George Washington University

“My name is Abby Osborne, and I’m a junior at George Washington University, majoring in art history and political communication. During this cycle, I’ve helped the Marketing and Communications department with community outreach, our business partnerships, and a press release about an upcoming exhibition. During my internship I enjoyed helping strengthen The Phillips Collection’s relationship with local businesses and creating strong partnerships that will benefit museum-goers. I also helped promote upcoming exhibitions and events throughout the community and updated the mailing lists, adding local university newspapers and Italian/Italian-American organizations that might be interested in the exhibition about Giuseppe De Nittis.”

Claire Griffin, George Washington University

“I am Claire Griffin and I am an intern in the DEAI department under Horning Chair for Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Yuma Tomes. I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Museum Studies from George Washington University and will be starting my last semester in January. Additionally, I have a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a minor in Sociology from Indiana University. Before joining the Phillips, I held positions at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Dumbarton House Museum, and Indiana University’s Museum of Archeology and Anthropology. Throughout my time here, I have had five major projects: Diversity in the Collection Project, Labor Acknowledgement Project, assistance with the Diversity Inter-Group Dialogue Series (DIDs) staff training session, writing an article for the next DEAI Staff Newsletter, and interviews with the department heads. I have been so grateful to learn more about DEAI work inside museums and looks forward to taking that knowledge with me throughout my career.”

Juliana Walsh, The Catholic University of America

“My name is Juliana and I have been the Community Engagement Intern. I have experienced tours given by Phillips Educators to grow my understanding of museum learning, as well as family programs that engage experiential learning. I spent a significant amount of time at our workshop at THEARC, where I helped The Phillips Collection win the best decorated car of THEARC partners at the annual Trunk & Treat event. I also supported some art-making workshops there. My main project this semester was research for the implementation of a mural-making summer camp at THEARC for students in Wards 7 and 8. This has been an absolute joy and I am very hopeful that the camp will become a reality, promoting initiatives of inclusivity and accessibility in historically underrepresented communities. I am so happy with all the work I did this semester and the great bonds that have been created between me and my department.”

Tina Fu, California State University Los Angeles

“My name is Tina Fu and I am an Education intern under Deputy Director for Education and Responsive Learning Spaces Anne Taylor Brittingham. I graduated from California State University Los Angeles this May with a BA in Art Education, which led me t interning at The Phillips Collection because I was interested in learning about art education beyond school classrooms. During my internship at the Phillips, I was able to be involved in different experiences and events, such as shadowing tours, interacting with visitors, creating lesson plans, helping set up events, and learning about the operations of a museum. I am very grateful for this opportunity which helped expand my understanding of art education.”