Catherine “Cat” Vasko '18

I grew up about 45 minutes away in West Virginia. I wanted to go to college not too close, but not too far, either. I grew up visiting Frederick on and off, but it had been years since my parents and I visited. We were in town one day during my senior year of high school and decided to explore. Once we came across Hood, I knew I wanted to be there. Oddly enough, I think it was the last school I applied to. I had been torn for some time about what I wanted to pursue in college and where—I knew I wanted to major in Art History, but it is not a commonly offered major, sadly. When I explored the Art & Archaeology Department’s website, it seemed to blend everything I wanted together. During my freshman year, I joined the LLC titled “Science Behind the Scenes: Art & Archaeology” during which we visited the conservation laboratories in the National Gallery of Art. It was then that I knew I had definitively chosen the right school and major—so much that I ended up picking up a second concentration: Archaeology!

I was the Docent Programs intern in the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Galleries, now renamed the National Museum of Asian Art. I commuted from Hood during the summer between my junior and senior year as I worked as a Resident Assistant on campus—the proximity of the MARC station from Hood is amazingly convenient! It was a very eye-opening experience to see the logistics of how a large historical institution/art museum is run, and was my first real, major exposure to the museum sector. I worked closely with the Manager of Docent Programs, the Education Assistant of Docents and Tours, and the docents themselves to gain a comprehensive understanding of docent programs management. I was able to learn first-hand what was entailed behind museum education and public/scholarly engagement.

I always thought that I would focus on museum education within my career, but since then it has diverged a bit. Whereas I used to focus on the more public, education-based side of things, I now focus on more behind-the-scenes work—archives and collections management. There is something wonderful about educating others about history and being able to get them enthusiastic about it, but there is also something special about handling an artifact and caring for it. Thankfully, both fields can be intertwined, so I am able to dip into both! I have an upcoming internship that nicely blends the two together.

I work for a company based in Northern Virginia called Qualx Corporation, but I live and work in Pennsylvania. I am a contractor stationed at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC), the Army’s primary historical research facility! We are currently working on a large-scale digitization project of the archival collection, which is being published online. I was initially hired on as an Archives Technician in January of 2019, but last October, I transitioned to my current position. As a Reconciliation/Inventory Specialist, I work with a small team inventorying the museum’s collection of maps, propaganda, and artwork stemming from various time periods—the earliest that we came across being from 1512!

The pandemic did affect the museum and it was closed to the public up until recently (and even then, it is operating with limited hours and capacity). Because of the nature of the project, only staff and contractors have been working on-site during closure, which has been stressful at times, but I am grateful that I’m still working. I am very happy to see some semblance of normalcy and visitors returning.

Two things come to mind. The first was last fall, when I started my graduate studies. I had to select a person from my field to interview and had to keep it as local as possible. I was able to meet the Art Curator on-site at USAHEC, Jim McNally, which was insightful. Secondly, inventorying the art collection has by far been my favorite part of the job itself. The collections team, curators, and conservation staff that we work with are all incredible—not to mention, fun! A few months ago, when inventorying some of the art collection, we came across a framed print that was incredibly unique for me—Landscape with a Cannon by Albrecht Dürer in the year 1518. Original. Pristine condition. Certificate of Authenticity. I just about died inside. I was holding an authentic Dürer—an artist I adore. I peaked!

So many! The ladies in the Art & Archaeology Department were amazing – Dr. Morris, Dr. Ross, Dr. Bari, and Dr. Krygier. Working under Mary Jean Hughes for the department introduced me to digitization (something I am doing five years later) and Dr. Harrison helped me gain knowledge of archives and collection management, which is pertinent to my current position. Dr. Pincikowski helped shape my love for German Art and helped me gain experience language-wise and travel-wise via his classes and an independent study in Berlin. Each influenced the knowledge I gained, gave me worthy advice, inspired my career focuses, and helped shape me through my education.

I have no idea! I am on track to graduate this spring, which is exciting! The great thing about Arts Administration is that it is so diverse and multifaceted, covering different components of varying types of arts organizations. Maybe I’ll be working for a different museum! Maybe I’ll be working for a theatre! A symphony! An art gallery! Who knows?! Only time will tell.

Gain as much experience as you can. I love Frederick because it has lots of options for volunteer work and internships. Take advantage of this! The proximity to Antietam, Monocacy, Gettysburg, D.C. and Baltimore are wonderful, too. If you’re unable to do in-person volunteer work or internships, I highly recommend looking into remote work—especially now during a pandemic. It can take some work and a bit of hunting, but remote opportunities do exist in our field! Attending digs that Hixson leads is great experience, too. It’s not only important to build your resume up, but to find out what you like in the field. It may change over time, and that’s perfectly okay!