Cheekwood Estate & Gardens
Location Description
The mission of Cheekwood is to preserve a historical landmark where beauty and excellence in art and horticulture stimulate the mind and nurture the spirit. Ever since opening its doors in 1960, Cheekwood has been a leader in the local arts scene, sharing exhibitions with the public and caring for a permanent collection including works by noteworthy Tennessee artists Ralph E.W. Earl, Willie Betty Newman, and William Edmonson. Cheekwood’s role as a purveyor of visual art is accompanied by our history as a community anchor where multiple generations of Nashvillians have benefitted from our educational offerings and participated in our community programs. From the early 1960s until the early 2000s, much of this rich history was carefully catalogued and archived in our library. However, the past fifteen years of Cheekwood’s activities have not been preserved with the same care and attention.
Cheekwood’s archives have been essentially neglected since the departure of a full-time Librarian. The existing archives furthermore cannot remain in their current location, as the Art Library is being converted back into a 1930s recreation room as part of our historical initiatives. Within the past year, the museum staff at Cheekwood has assessed the situation and drafted a simple strategic plan for revitalizing our archival collections and increasing public access to this information. Interns will play a crucial role in helping to organize and establish archival holdings through the processing of collections and creation of online exhibits.
Practicum Work Mode
On site
Semesters or Time Period Available
Spring
Location
1200 Forrest Park Drive
Nashville, TN 37205
https://cheekwood.org/
Contact
Robert Spinelli
Archivist
rspinelli@cheekwood.org
(615) 354-6384
to apply: https://tinyurl.com/3ajv6vbk
[you will also need to fill out the practicum application to earn course credit]
Student Tasks
Cheekwood’s archives internship aims to fulfill its mission by working on archival processing and description or digital capture and metadata projects. We create effective internships by collaborating with students to create clearly defined goals, offering feedback on projects and performance in weekly meetings, and providing opportunities for students to reflect on their experiences. Archives stresses a standards-based approach to digitization and description and uses archival and digital asset management systems commonly adopted by galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs) in the United States.
Duties may include:
• arranging and describing archival collections;
• authoring biographical and historical notes that provide context for archival materials;
• creating finding aids in compliance with Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) and local practices using ArchivesSpace;
• creating descriptive metadata and developing digital collections using Omeka;
• curating web and physical exhibitions and creating exhibition panels and catalogs;
• conducting research and writing narratives for grant applications
Type of Mentoring Provided to the Student
Students will perform work both in conjunction with the archivist and independently. Progress will be monitored via weekly meetings and students should expect open communications at all times. Crossover work with museum staff including the curator and registrar is possible.
Student Interaction With Others at the Location
The Archives Intern will work closely with the museum archivist as well as with the Curator and Vice President of Museum Affairs. Their work environment will include working within a temperature controlled archival space in our historic Mansion as well as at our off-site storage facility. This intern will have the opportunity to spend time in Cheekwood’s gardens and mansion and gain appreciation for the particularities of working within a historic site.