Pitzer College Art Galleries Provides First-Generation and Students of Color Apprenticeships for Curatorial Experience

Artist Mark Steven Greenfield and Marcus Jackson ’22, the inaugural Benjamin Godsill ’00 and Anna Burns Student Apprenticeship Award recipient

Claremont, Calif. (May 11, 2022)—A new apprenticeship award offers Pitzer College first-generation and students of color opportunities to gain in-depth curatorial experience at innovative arts organizations. In collaboration with the Pitzer College Art Galleries, the Benjamin Godsill ’00 and Anna Burns Student Apprenticeship Award is designed to provide a bridge to long-term museum careers.

Fall semester apprenticeships take place at Fulcrum Arts, in Pasadena, and spring semester apprenticeships take place at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE). Apprentices enrich their knowledge of contemporary art and deepen their understanding of museum practices through hands-on training in exhibition work, gallery management, and public arts education.

Pitzer College Art Galleries Fellow Marcus Jackson ’22, the inaugural awardee, recently completed his apprenticeship in spring 2022 with LACE. Jackson worked with LACE’s Emerging Curator Cat Jones on a show about honoring Black trans masculinity in Reclaiming Performance: A Reverence of Self.

“I was able to help for the entire journey from start to finish,” says Jackson. “Getting this experience as a senior and feeling like I’ve done something in the art community in Los Angeles meant a lot to me. It felt surreal that I was actually doing it.

“The experience was fruitful, and I learned a lot personally and artistically. I’m a painter. Curation has not been an area I’m familiar with, but I wanted to try that other side of the art world. It was cool to be a part of a gallery that has a large impact on the community around it and gives voice to marginalized groups through different exhibitions, performances, and installations.”

The apprenticeship award was made possible by a generous donation in 2021 by Pitzer alumnus Benjamin Godsill ’00 and his wife, Anna Burns, as a testament to Godsill’s commitment as a Pitzer graduate and their shared belief in the College’s mission.

Pitzer College Art Galleries is currently accepting applications for the fall semester through June 1, 2022.  Interested students can learn more about the Benjamin Godsill ’00 and Anna Burns Student Apprenticeship Award and download the application on the Pitzer College Art Galleries website.

About Pitzer College

Pitzer College is a nationally top-ranked undergraduate liberal arts and sciences institution. A member of The Claremont Colleges, Pitzer offers a distinctive approach to a liberal arts education by linking intellectual inquiry with interdisciplinary studies, cultural immersion, social responsibility, and community involvement. For more information, please visit www.pitzer.edu.

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