Museum Job Spotlight: Emily Lang

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Emily Lang

The name of my museum is… Clark Art Institute

My name is… Emily Lang

My job title is… Digital Content Editor

 

This job title means that I mainly work on…

All things digital! Social media, website, “other duties as assigned”

Give us a quick overview of your department/museum.

I work in Communications/Marketing at the Clark. Our responsibilities are to make information about the museum, its collection, programs, and exhibitions accessible to both the public and the media. The Clark is 140 campus featuring a museum, research center, library, and trail system.

What inspires you about your museum’s mission?

The Clark has a dual mission as an art museum and a center for research and higher education, dedicated to advancing and extending the public understanding of art. I love that our mission features the term “the public”. Everything we do serves this mission; I feel inspired every day as I create content to make information as accessible as possible to the public.

What advice would you give to the aspiring museum professional?

Experience is key. Start anywhere in a museum; front desk, volunteer, docent, etc. and make yourself essential by volunteering for anything and everything! Show your enthusiasm for museum work; passion is key in this field since compensation is not as high as the for-profit world.

Clark Art Institute, Visitor Center, Location: Williamstown MA, Architect: Tadao Ando

Clark Art Institute, Visitor Center, Location: Williamstown MA, Architect: Tadao Ando

How did you find your way into the museum industry?

I started volunteering at my campus museum when I was studying history at my undergraduate college. I applied for every paid internship I could find; I landed one in collections at my state museum. I went to graduate school at the Cooperstown Graduate Program, the only school in the country specifically for History Museum Studies volunteering and interning at three different museums during my time there. After graduation, I worked as a curator at the first museum I had a paid internship at! I then transitioned into my current role in the digital world.

Best advice you ever received from a museum professional:

Take every opportunity that is given to you. Never be afraid to apply for something; put yourself out there and things will start to fall into place.

What specific skills enable you to succeed in your job?

Being a data geek! Learn how analytics relate to what the audience wants and use it to make data-driven informed decisions.

What’s your favorite object or piece of art in your museum and why?

An audience favorite, John Singer Sargent’s Fumée d’ambre gris (Smoke of Ambergris)

John Singer Sargent, Fumée d'ambre gris (Smoke of Ambergris) 1880

What is your earliest memory of being in a museum?

On a family vacation in Spain at the Prado Museum when I was 5, I remember giggling with my brother at Goya’s The Nude Maja. We thought it was so funny, we bought a postcard. Last summer, I went back to the Prado and started to smirk when I saw it again (some things never change…).

What is a story that most people don’t know about your museum or its collection?

Sterling and Francine Clark’s ashes are spread beneath the front steps of the museum!

How does your museum function within your community?

Community is at the heart of our mission to engage the public. We aim to connect our community to art through programs, exhibitions, and access to our 140 campus. And of course through adorable pictures of babies in the galleries on our Instagram account.

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