2018-2019 Interns
Felicia Garcia
2018-2019 Anne Ray Intern
Felicia Garcia is Santa Ynez Chumash, coming to SAR and the Indian Arts Research Center from the Graduate School of Arts and Science Museum Studies at New York University. Garcia’s interest in museum was sparked early with visits to her local natural history museum in California. As she went through school, however, she came to see the colorful dioramas representing her people as cartoonish, with the labels written in the past tense, and failing to depict the beauty and vitality of her culture. Her interest in representation continued to grow and led her to pursue coursework related to museums and the representation of Native Americans in particular.
Ultimately, Garcia’s goal is to return to her community and work in education and programming for a future museum and cultural center. She comments, “I am extremely inspired by all of the resources and learning opportunities that are offered by the IARC – particularly, the annual speaker series and the forthcoming eMuseum”. Garcia has had some experience in education at the Guggenheim Museum, National Museum of the American Indian and the Peabody Essex Museum and is looking forward to a more hands-on experience with the expansive IARC collection.
During her tenure at SAR, Garcia will spend half of her time working on collections/registration projects and the other half working on academic/programming projects. She will be in residence at SAR from August 31, 2018- May 31, 2019
Samantha Tracy
2018-2019 Anne Ray Intern
Samantha Tracy is Dine from Fort Defiance, Arizona, and is a recent graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), where she received a BFA in Museum Studies.
Having recently worked with collections at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) and the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Tracy comes to SAR and the Indian Arts Research Center (IARC) expecting gain further work experience and skill-sets in museology – benefitting her aspirations towards collection management – as well as expanding her knowledge of various Southwestern Indigenous art forms. Tracy comments, “I feel that art has the ability to give voice to cultural identity, and is extremely vital for Indigenous communities to connect with.”
During her tenure at SAR, Tracy will spend half of her time working on collections/registration projects and the other half working on academic/programming projects. She will be in residence at SAR from August 31 2018- May 31, 2019.
Samantha Tracy, Anne Ray Intern 2018-2019