Indepdendent Study & Internship

The structure of the Art History program requires students to apply the knowledge gained in visual slide lectures, readings, and discussions to projects undertaken through research, fieldwork, and internships. Students develop advanced skills in independent research and learn to work closely with faculty specialists. In recent years, for example, art history majors have restored 37 works from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s plaster cast collection, on long-term loan to Fairfield University. Other students have held internships at sites including the Bruce Museum and the Aldrich Museum Connecticut, as well as Christie’s Auction House, the Cloisters Collection, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. On campus, an internship is made available at the Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery to juniors and seniors majoring in art history and studio art. Interns assist in the installation and de-installation of art works; the design, research and writing of invitations, catalogues and brochures; and the creation and delivery of educational programming for elementary, secondary and university students as well as for adult groups in the Fairfield community.