Meet Phoebe Findlay, AWE’s Newest Intern

Hello! My name is Phoebe Findlay, and I am a third-year BFA Visual Arts student at the University of Windsor. I am also completing a minor in Applied IT. I enjoy a variety of different methods of creation: painting, sculpture, drawing, embroidery, crocheting, etc. In most of my artworks, I like to explore nature themes. In the past, I have focused on environmental issues and have connected nature to human emotion. In general, I like to doodle the outdoors and animals as a calming hobby.

Now that I am in my third year, I have been thinking a lot about my plans after graduation. I have been reflecting on how I interact with art and have realized that I enjoy consuming art more than creating it. One of my favorite things to do in art classes is critiques. In critiques, you get the opportunity to see other’s artworks and hear them talk about their concepts and creative processes. When thinking about how I could apply my love of consuming art to a career path, I became more curious about how galleries operate behind the scenes. I have participated in exhibitions as an artist, but I knew little about the arts administration field.

That led me here! I am now a curatorial intern at AWE for the Winter 2023 Semester. I am very grateful for this opportunity. Through this experience, I have learned that curating takes a lot more preparation work than what people might expect. Curators must maintain a variety of skills that go beyond art literacy and move into business and administration. I’ve been lucky to have sat in on meetings and seen how collaborative decisions have been made. Also, I have been given the opportunity to help with prep work for proposals and upcoming exhibitions, which has shown me the process and timeline for creating an exhibition. I am looking forward to working with my supervisor, Nadja Pelkey, to curate a display of works from the University of Windsor’s SoCA photography students this spring.