History Internship Gives College Grad Clarity for the Future
Sylvia Marshall (left) interned with Curator of History Rebecca Bush (right), conducting research and writing a catalogue essay for our new exhibition, "And So She Did: Women of the Chattahoochee Valley." A Columbus native, Sylvia graduated from Agnes Scott College and is pursuing a master’s degree in public history at UNC-Charlotte.
The Columbus Museum is one of the first museums that Sylvia Marshall can remember visiting as a child. She can remember completing worksheets that encouraged her to find certain exhibitions or paintings.
"I would say that my early experiences at The Columbus Museum helped shape my current interest in museums and in history," Marshall said.
Unexpected Opportunity
No one could have guessed that years later, she would work at the Museum as an intern with Curator of History Rebecca Bush on one of the biggest exhibitions of the year, or perhaps, of the century: And So She Did: Women of the Chattahoochee Valley. The highly-anticipated exhibition commemorates the centennial anniversary of women's suffrage and highlights local and regional women who played an active role in the movement.
"The experience introduced me to local history that I had no prior knowledge of and made me feel more connected to Columbus especially after not really living in the city since I graduated high school," said Marshall, a 2016 graduate of Columbus High School. "What was truly enlightening was learning about the various people and organizations like Augusta Howard and the Georgia Woman Suffrage Association (GWSA) that helped shape the political arena for women across the South."
Before beginning the internship at the Museum, Marshall was interested in learning about how museums engaged with audiences and encouraged dialogue around history and art. She worked as an intern at the Columbus State University Archives during summer of 2018. A year later, her former internship supervisor mentioned an opportunity to potentially work as a curatorial intern for The Columbus Museum and she jumped at the chance to learn more about curatorial work. Interning at the Museum gave her clarity about her future career and provided a list of qualities that she looked for in a graduate program.
She is now pursuing a master's degree in public history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Unexpected Benefits
"One of the benefits of the internship that I did not foresee was the influence on my senior seminar research," Marshall explained. "My topic focused on Black beauticians in Atlanta and their involvement during the Civil Rights Movement around the city. Women obtained leadership roles and political power through female-led organizations before and after the vote which was something that kept reoccurring during my research for the exhibition. As such, when I began research for my senior thesis I knew to look for these organizations and unconventional avenues women used to exercise their political voice."
When the pandemic forced the Museum's closure for four months, Marshall didn't hesitate to join the Museum's online programming options, which she says offered not only an educational component but a sense of togetherness and connection.
"I see the virtual programming as extremely beneficial to the community and a way for The Columbus Museum to still engage with the community given the restrictions due to COVID-19," she added. "Whether it is discussing the fashion trends of the 19th century or being taken around exhibitions virtually on YouTube, The Columbus Museum has showcased the methods that museums are using to navigate this difficult time."
Marshall said she is grateful for the guidance of Rebecca Bush, Curator of History, and the Museum's curatorial staff.
"Each department at The Columbus Museum constantly tries to reach more people in the community and to make the Museum a space of connection," Marshall said, "and I am excited to see how The Columbus Museum evolves in the next few years. I would recommend the curatorial internship to any curious Humanities student interested in exploring what museums have to offer."
