Monica Narona

4/20/10 || Blog #11 || A Rewarding Experience

Since interning here, I’ve come to feel a satisfying sense of accomplishment when I get something done. Through this experience I’ve met MCA and all of its glory which I would not have been aware of otherwise. When I was applying to this program I remember looking up each of the different positions at the different buildings and when I found out what MCA was, it was love at first click. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration, but I certainly did know I was in the right place when I went I first walked into MCA for my interview with Ama. I’ve assimilated well into the museum for being a high school intern. I get the pleasure of working with an amazing mentor whom I get along with very well. We’ve developed a nice student-mentor/intern-boss relationship and I like doing the assignments she gives me because I like being able to do something and help around the museum. I do little jobs here and there, usually wherever Ama sees me best fit and I get to it. I do my work diligently and I get it done in a timely manner. The feeling I get when I finish an assignment is pretty satisfying, especially when I know I did it to the best of my ability. It’s rewarding in other senses as well because through being an intern I gain an experience that might benefit me down the road. I found out that there’s a work-study program for students who go to college in downtown which she referred me to so I could stay at the museum even after my internship was over. There are things about the museum, particularly things that are available to youth like myself which I and many others could benefit from. It’s awesome.

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4/13/15 || Blog #10 || What I Would Change

I have no clue what I would change if i were in charge of this work site, simply because I don’t know the first thing about running a museum of any size. The food in the cafe is prepared beautifully, and the museum is literally artisan-crafted (by David Adjaye) and the art displayed is that which I wouldn’t replace.

I would probably be interested in shedding more light onto the museum because there are several people like myself who are interested in the arts and have never once heard of the MCA and i do genuinely believe that this place deserves more attention and more visitors my age. The place is full of inspiration and there is nothing but good vibes here. It’s not a terribly large museum and so there is zero discouragement to check out the whole thing.

I’d also probably be interested in making teen drop-in nights more frequent because there are plenty of nice things young artists can do when they get together. It’s also an incredible opportunity to meet with the other young artists in the community. I’m not sure if this is a problem other artists have, but I don’t know very many people like myself because of the school I go to. I think that by bringing young artists together more frequently can have a big impact on the relationships people make with one another.

Other than that, there’s nothing I would add to or change about MCA.

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4/6/15 || Blog #9 || Inspiring Experiences

Interning at MCA particularly over the duration of its current exhibition has really been eye-opening for me as an artist. Even being aware alone of how the entire museum from bottom up is filled with the work of Mark Mothersbaugh really gives me hope as an artist as it truly is possible to make art for all of your life. That’s something I strive to do. I hope to make art for the rest of my life, and perhaps if I’m lucky, I’ll have done enough work to fill up a small museum.

As a senior, the end of high school is nearing. I’m currently just a little over a month away from graduation. Sometimes it feels like the stress is increasingly taking a toll on me, but it only means college is around the corner. I’m going into an Art Major, and so I’m really looking forward to see what direction this will take me and my art. Everything about making art makes me feel incredible, and there’s nothing I’d rather spend my life doing.

On the second floor of the museum there’s a gallery space filled with some 30,000 postcards with hand-drawn illustrations by Mothersbaugh found in what looks like hundreds of photo albums all laid out on the floor beneath overhead lamps. It’s mind boggling how much art this man has made in his life time and even still today he is making art. Being at this museum shows me where art can take a person. It’s a dimension of the world that seems exclusive but anyone is free to enter. I cannot wait to see where my art takes me.

I’m thankful for this internship for allowing me to see the things I have.

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3/23/15 || Blog #8 || Difference Between Art Projects and Creative Business

I think of myself as a creative person in how I cultivate art for myself. I am a visual artist, and I primarily enjoy drawing as my hobby and passion. There’s a difference, however, between working on personal art projects and working in a creative business.

Personal projects are just that– personal. They aren’t usually done for anybody’s interest except the artist themselves. Creative business on the other hand might have a specific recipient that the artist has to keep in mind and it might include the presence of boundaries or limitations on the characteristics of the piece.

Business as a whole is far more different than doing things for personal interests. I’ve learned that business is often about selling a product, which primarily consists of making a profit. Personal projects are done for free, and the artist can choose to sell their work if they wanted, but I feel that personal projects are more about exploration than they are about fitting someone else’s criteria.

Working in a creative business has shown me that there’s a lot behind the scenes that no body ever really talks about, and many people whose names continue to go unsaid despite their very important roles in carrying out one thing. For example, at the Contemporary Art Museum where I intern, despite there only being a museum-wide exhibition of one single artist, Mark Mothersbaugh, there is an entire office of individuals who have tasks they need to carry out in order for the whole museum to function properly. It’s astounding, really. Everyone has a job to do, and it isn’t just the artist alone that makes the exhibition possible.

Personal projects are individual. Creative businesses are collective.

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3/16/15 || Blog #7 || How My Colleagues Treat Me

The people at my work are very kind to me. Although I am only an intern, I still get greeted and smiled at often. I don’t usually talk to a lot of my colleagues, mostly just my mentor, although I have assisted a few of them with a couple of tasks. I am glad they don’t not acknowledge me, they are all very nice. If one day i have an intern, I would certainly treat them with the same kindness and comfort. I get the freedom to work wherever in the museum as long as I get my work done and I often run into several people from the office as I go about my business in the museum and they don’t ignore me or pretend I don’t exist just because I am an intern. I am happy with the atmosphere at MCA because it’s very laid back and often times there is laughter and joy while also a lot of work being done. There hasn’t been a single instant where anyone has been rude to me, for which I am glad. There is mutual respect between everyone in the workplace which I appreciate greatly. I know that as an intern, it means a lot to be respected in the work place and not looked down upon and so in the future when there are interns in my work place, I will treat them with the utmost respect and I will make sure they feel comfortable and welcome as it is important they have the best experience in order to get a true taste of what it’s like to be in the workplace.

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3/9/15 || Blog #6 || My Main Contributions

Having started working more frequently, I’ve come to find that my main contributions consist of assisting other colleagues wherever they see me best fit. The other day, I was given the task to revise labels that were going to be posted in the open shelf library of the Museum. I went through and double checked that all of the names were written correctly, that all the gallery names were consistent, and that all of the dates of their exhibitions were correct to the day. After those revisions were made I was asked to look over them one final time and the final labels should be posted by the next time I come in. I was also given the task to organize some cabinets that had lots of project supplies. I’m proud of the small contributions I make in the museum mostly because I feel good about helping around. Wherever I can help, I do. I enjoy my time at the museum, even when the only task I’m given is to do personal research because I’ve gotten better at it and I often have a lot to take away including this profound interest in visiting more museums in my life time. Contemporary Art Museums all throughout the country have a lot to offer that traditional Art Museums don’t which makes the visiting experience compelling. That, and all of the artists whose work can be found in those museums are alive and well, which is almost reassuring in that I could potentially meet these artists in their lifetime of creativity.

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3/2/2015 || Blog #5 || How My Internship is Going so Far

I haven’t started doing anything differently since I began my internship last month. I’ve only spent time doing research at my desk by myself and since my mentor hasn’t had the time to teach me how to do any other jobs and since I haven’t been able to come in as frequently as I’d like due to school, I haven’t been given any other jobs besides doing the reading assignments I’ve been given. I feel like my internship isn’t going as nicely as I’d like it to mostly just due to the initial lack of time I had to contribute to it. I haven’t formed any relationships with any of my co-workers besides my mentor whom I don’t spend a lot of time with. I’m unfortunately still on the “intern” basis, as in none of my co-workers know my name and still refer to me as the intern except for one other person besides my mentor. I will improve my experience by getting to come in more frequently now that my school schedule has enabled me to do so. Perhaps I will be able to really voice my opinion about how to better spend my time as an intern, and I’m looking forward to do work besides researching. I don’t feel as involved in the museum as I’d like to be, although I’m glad the office space is quiet enough for me to get the work done that I’ve had to do. Overhearing conversations that go on within the office show me that there are some really cool people who work there and the building itself is just a factory for creative ideas and I hope that I will be able to feed off of that some more over the course of my internship at MCA.

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2/24/2015 || Blog #4 || My Responsibilities Within the Workplace

At the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, my first and foremost responsibility is to be somewhat educated in the realm of contemporary art. Given that I’m interning at a contemporary art museum, it’s most important that I understand the significance of contemporary art locally and nationally. In the time since I’ve started interning I’ve spent most of my work hours studying the work by the artist the museum is currently exhibiting, Mark Mothersbaugh. I’ve also done research on one of the artists that will be exhibited in mid-April when Mothersbaugh’s exhibition is over, Kim Dorland. In addition to researching artists, I also research different contemporary art museums around the country. This week I will be able to come in more frequently and other responsibilities I will have in the workplace will include doing inventory of their library, organizing cabinets in their Bubble Garden, and organizing the copy room. I think my main contribution to my work site would be to just attend to whatever duties need attending around the museum and particularly the office space in the basement. They’re likely just miscellaneous jobs but at the moment my main focus is to just do research and demonstrate evidence of that research. I’ve learned a lot about the creative processes that have gone into the pieces that inhabit the museum and I can honestly say that it’s magnificent what Mothersbaugh is capable of. In his time he’s been able to cultivate more than enough to fill up a medium sized museum space that’s a total of four stories. I look forward to expanding my internship responsibilities as time moves forward.

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2/19/2015 || Blog # 3 || My Actions Within the Workplace

I’ve come to understand that one of the most important things about anyone’s experience in the workplace is that your actions are what people have to reflect on when you don’t speak many words. In my professional setting at MCA, I keep to myself mostly and I do a lot of artist/museum research. I haven’t directly contributed to the workplace except for sitting quietly at my desk working on the assignments I’m given. I recognize that everyone in the office space has work to do so I make sure that whatever I’m doing doesn’t disrupt the work other people have to get done. Everyone else also mostly keeps to themselves in the office space, but they usually just talk among each other when needed. It doesn’t affect me in any way. The contribution I make while at MCA has been primarily for me as I’ve spent a lot of time heightening my understanding for contemporary art that ranges from artists here in Denver, to those in cities across the country. As an intern in a contemporary art museum, I should have a good understanding of what contemporary art is and understand the purpose behind the artists who do it best. The museum itself is a very laid back setting apart from cacophony of bells and whistles that escape the entrance and echo all throughout the building. The office space is usually quiet, and the sounds coming from the outside do make their way in, but it’s comforting. I exist happily in my place here at MCA, and the fact that I’m given the opportunity to bask in the realm of contemporary art while learning about it is incredible.

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2/2/2015 || Blog # 2 ||Best Thing That’s Happened to Me This Week

During our bi-weekly meetings, we learned a lot about self-branding and we were fortunate enough to hear a speaker talk about his experiences in the creative industries where he built up his reputation and specified his area of expertise. At DSST, we’re required to do a Senior Project, and I found it extremely convenient to align my senior project with this internship. Since we started on these projects, I’ve struggled a lot figuring out a topic and a project I felt clicked in the right way. I knew from the beginning that I wanted it to relate to the arts because I myself am an artist, but I didn’t know what angle to take on. During our bi-weekly meetings, we went over a creative thinking process that allows us to break down a problem and think about a creative solution. Despite having been working and planning possible senior project themes, it wasn’t until that bi-weekly meeting where I was able to dissect my concept in a way I hadn’t thought before. Creative individuals who hope to pursue creative careers are easy targets for discouragement, and I’ve always felt like I had been in a box all my life preventing me from reaching my full potential as an artist. I hope that my senior project will allow me to explore my creative abilities in ways I hadn’t been able to before. I’ve been struggling these past few weeks to find my element and really centralize it, but the meeting helped me a lot in understanding what I want to do for myself, and how to execute my project in the most beneficial way possible.

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1/26/2015 || Blog # 1 ||Frist Day at MCA

I recall the first time I walked into MCA. I was immediately impresesd by everything. It was all so visually appealing. I was hooked from the moment I stepped foot in the museum and heard the cacophony of bells and whistles the echoed all thoughout. Back then however, I wasn’t aware that the entire building was filled with the works by a single artist/musician named Mark Mothersbaugh, who not only is an astounding printmaker, but the co-founder of a musical group called Devo. I spent my first day as an intern at MCA doing artist research, which yes, did indeed mean reading for two and a half hours. Now, some might think that reading for 2 and half hours sounds mundane, but I learned a lot. I delved into several in-depth readings about the museum itself as well as the work by Mothersbaugh and found that contemporary art is where my interests really are. I met most of the people who work downstairs in the office space where I will spend a lot of my time, but I was unfortunate enough not to meet Mothersbaugh himself who my sponsor informed me was in the office only an hour before I got there. I was surprised to find out that the whole museum was filled by works by Mothersbaugh, and after I clocked out, I had time to walk around the museum and really internalize the fact that everything from the basement to the roof, all four stories, contained work he’s done throughout his lifetime. I was astonished. I’m confident that the knowledge I gain from interning here will benefit me for as long as my interests reside in contemporary art.

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