Landmarks welcomes two new interns, Itza Cantera and Camryn Smith, who joined our Communications and Education departments respectively. They are gaining real-world experience at Landmarks, amassing skills that will help prepare them for life after college and a career in the arts. Learn more about Itza and Camryn below.
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Itza Cantera is a senior Art History major with a minor in Arts Administration and Management and a Museum Studies BDP certificate in the College of Fine Arts. This semester Itza joins the Communications team to help draft social media content, write blogs for Landmarks website, and create short-form video content.
How does your internship with Landmarks contribute to your professional goals?
Landmarks will further my learning and understanding of the functions of museums, galleries, and art organizations, especially in today’s digital age. With more people in the world being active on various social media platforms, anyone can view the history and material of any museum or art organization. I find it cool that people, who may not live close to such places, can have access to a collection and information from an artist without having to physically travel to the place of origin. By aiding the communications team, I will develop content showcasing the various aspects of the program to both known and unknown audiences. Thus, this internship will contribute to helping art organizations be present in digital media.
What is your favorite work in Landmarks' collection?
My favorite artwork found in the Landmarks’ collection is Amistad América by José Parlá. I adore this painting because it is both chaotic and calming. The different colors, textures, and brush strokes make the painting feel active and vibrant. Yet because there are words like Austin, Guadalupe, and King, the painting grounds me to feel physically present. Plus, the name translates to “Friendship America,” which could highlight the diversity the university and Austin hold.
What do you like to do in your free time and around campus?
In my free time I am usually found in the fine arts library working on small projects like some arts and crafts, or at Whitaker Sports fields playing for the UT Women’s Soccer Club team. Additionally, my favorite late-night activity is going to concerts. I typically try to go to one live show each month, so I can de-stress and jam to some music.
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Camryn Smith is a Junior History Major with minors in Art History and Classics. This semester Camryn joins the Education Team to assist with public programming including arranging tours for the upcoming Austin Studio Tour, regular monthly tours, and educational resources like developing activity guides for collection works.
What is your favorite work in Landmarks' collection?
I’m very fond of And That's The Way It Is, which is located in Walter Cronkite Plaza. I love the huge scale of it, and the way it turns a fairly basic building by day into a stop-and-stare oddity in the evening. I’ve also always lived near that part of campus, and I interact with that artwork often.
What do you like to do in your free time and around campus?
I’m in a spirit group called Texas Lassos, so I spend a lot of time running around to events hosted by them. I’m also an avid movie-goer, and love to go see films on the big screen.
How does your internship with Landmarks contribute to your professional goals?
After I finish my undergraduate degree, I plan to go to graduate school for Art Education, or something similar with a focus in Museum Studies. I hope to use the skills I’ve learned at Landmarks to achieve my post-academic goals of working in a museum- or anywhere else I can work with art every day and get paid for it!