Critical Museum StudiesStudent Ambassadors Program
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The Critical Museum Studies (CMST) Student Ambassadors Program connects outstanding CMST minors with prospective minors. Ambassadors meet with prospective students who are visiting HWS during Admissions events, sharing their experiences as students in the CMST Program and offering insights about how the minor has helped them to discover and pursue their academic and professional goals. Ambassadors also meet with current HWS students who are exploring the minor. They offer advice about course selections within the minor, helping to conceptualize individualized capstone project ideas, as well as inform them of internship and networking opportunities.
If you are interested in connecting with a Critical Museum Studies Student Ambassador, please contact the Critical Museum Studies minor program Chair, Angelique Szymanek: szymanek@hws.edu.
American Studies major; Critical Museum Studies minorIsabel McKinnon '28
As a kid, my mom and grandma were always taking me to museums in Boston. I grew up fascinated by art but never considered it as a career pathway until I started at HWS. My first art history class was challenging and intimidating, but I had access to amazing opportunities through the faculty on campus, who are all incredibly welcoming. In the fall of my first year, I went to Philadelphia for a weekend alongside other students in the art department, where I realized that I wanted to be a part of the CMST program.
Over the last two years, I have developed a variety of skills in museum work, from curation to installation to event planning. I have worked alongside Meghan Jordan as a gallery assistant at the Davis Gallery and am currently interning at the Provenzano Student Art Gallery as a co-manager. Being a co-manager at PSAG has shown me what it takes to create an exhibition from the ground up, and I feel so privileged to be a part of a student-led team. These unique opportunities to gain tangible experience have diversified my expectations for a career in museum work.
I was also extremely lucky to have my first ever experiences abroad, studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Rome, Italy —two experiences that were unbelievably memorable and fun! Both cities demonstrated the incredible diversity of the art world and created so much excitement for my future. I would not have been a part of these two trips without the relationships and connections that I have built through the CMST program, which have furthered my academic career in ways I never thought possible.
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Chemistry & Art History major; Critical Museum Studies minorIndia Buff '26
The Critical Museum Studies program is an amazing opportunity for people with very diverse interests. As a double major in Art History and Chemistry, I have been able to do coursework that combines my two interests. As someone who learns best with hands-on experience, the CMST program is a perfect opportunity.
At my previous institution, before transferring, I designed, organized, and installed an exhibit featuring the art and history of their alumni association. I also worked as a student intern in the String Room Gallery, the art gallery on campus. Since declaring the minor here at HWS, I am very excited to work with the Provenzano Student Art Gallery this semester and have an internship with Meghan Jordan, our Visual Arts Curator, for cataloguing!
After taking Museum Studies classes every time I go to a museum, I think deeper about what content is included and how it is presented, which is preparing me well for a future career in a museum-related field. This program provides so many opportunities that truly offer a well-rounded education in any of the three tracks.
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English Major; Art History and Critical Museum Studies minorOlivia Sumner '27
When I began my time at HWS, I had planned on completing a major in English and a minor in Art History. Unsure of what exactly I would like to do, I decided to take courses in as many departments as possible in order to have a well-rounded education. During my first-year spring semester, I took an art history internship course (ARTH 203); an exhibition class working with Clarence A. Davis ’48 Visual Arts Curator Meghan Jordan. In this course, I worked closely with Meghan and three other students to curate an exhibition featuring Access Wire Press Photographs donated by George Stephanopoulos. We curated a show that highlighted social and political change throughout the 1940s-1980s, featuring about 30 of the hundreds of photographs donated by Stephanopoulos we have in the HWS Art Collection.
My experience working in Jordan’s class was exciting and extremely rewarding. My sophomore year, I decided to apply for a position at the Provenzano Student Art Gallery (PSAG), located on campus, for my junior year fall semester. I interned at PSAG during that semester as a public relations coordinator, gaining skills using Canva, Print Services and community outreach. No matter the position held at PSAG, all interns are involved in the curation and installation process. I learned how to use construction equipment in order to install art in a gallery space. At the end of the semester, I decided to declare a Critical Museum Studies minor in order to gain more experience so I could pursue a career in museums.
After completing my junior year spring in Rome, Italy, visiting over 50 museums and galleries, I fell deeply in love with art (more so than I already had) and felt solidified in my career interests. During the summer of 2026, I worked on campus as a Summer Scholar at PSAG as a co-director. During my time, I curated three exhibitions using the HWS Art Collection, as well as art submitted by community members -- “Art of Invasion in the Finger Lakes,” “A Dream Deferred,” and “Poetics of Form.” My experience curating these exhibitions gave me intimate access to the works exhibited and the curation process. Now as a senior, I am working as a co-director of the PSAG gallery for the fall semester, learning how to guide a team of interns in the process of curation and installation. My work at PSAG is credited towards my Critical Museum Studies minor, allowing me to have hands-on experience that I can continue to develop to prepare for my future career.