This post is part of our Internship Spotlight series. For this installment, Nicole Román Abreu (’26) tells us about her internship experiences at Base Camp Studios and Edmonds Historical Museum.
Can you provide a brief introduction of yourself, what you did, and what you were looking to accomplish with this specific internship opportunity? Additionally, what did you bring to the table that your host site was looking for?
Hi! My name is Nicole Román Abreu, and over Winter Quarter I was a Gallery Development intern at Base Camp Studios and a Maritime Exhibit intern at the Edmonds Historical Museum. Between these internships, I was initially looking to acquire skills in installation, collections management, and logistical planning. Throughout my internships I realized I accomplished these learning goals, but also learned further about administrative procedures, collections research, and artist communication. My host sites were looking for graduate students that shared interests in exhibit development, were personable, and had a resourceful mindset.
In interning with your host site, did you feel like your contributions led to a tangible, sustainable, or positive impact?
My contributions to my internships led to many tangible exhibitions. At Base Camp Studios I deinstalled two shows and installed three exhibits. The Edmonds Maritime exhibit will be sustained at the museum for the foreseeable future as it was a permanent installation. Both of these contributions had the positive impact of visitor audience appreciation and led to sales and community events.
In what ways did your internship unexpectedly challenge you? How did you overcome that?
I was not expecting to become as immersed with the artists as I did through my internship at Base Camp Studios. Experiencing the community that works and creates art in these spaces was truly one of my favorite memories. I came across the challenge of prioritizing what was meaningful, not just profitable for me. There were different points of view from a living artist perspective and from my museum perspective; both taught us how to communicate and learn about our reasoning. This experience really rejuvenated parts of my past creative life and got me immersed in a new side of Seattle.
Developing the Edmonds Maritime exhibit meant the responsibility hiding in the corner of the room under a shadow had to come out…and that was writing an exhibit panel and many labels! I wouldn’t say this challenge was unexpected for me, but I will say that I have ripped off the Band-Aid, and I enjoy writing labels so much more now! Writing for this exhibit has helped me overcome the delay in writing that comes from the English as a secondary language perspective I carry. I hope everyone enjoys the stories that the team has provided in this exhibition!
In what ways did your classes prepare you for your internship?
Collections Management 540 prepared me by reminding me to think about the environment for the artworks. Exhibit Development 524 and Intro to Museology 500 helped me remember that I am a capable writer, and I do enjoy providing an engaging visual story (thank you, Lane!). Recently, I found that Design for the Visitor Experience 588 has been a very interesting perspective to exhibit layout and in my installations.