Art History Ticks a Lot of Boxes for This Alumna

In her junior year, Myra Lendrum left her marketing major at the altar to marry the things she loves most – researching and writing about art.

“I took my first art history class with Associate Professor Sara Picard and was immediately enthralled,” Lendrum says. “She’s a fantastic professor. I was putting effort into assignments like I never had before. One day she asked me if I had ever considered a major in art history.” 

The rest is ... well ... history.

Lendrum graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in art history in 2024. She earned departmental honors for her vigorous thesis on the Virgin of Guadalupe and was awarded the Mary Ball Howkins Art History Award for overall excellence.

“What I enjoy most about the study of art is not only the aesthetics but learning about the cultures from which they came,” she says. “I think art is an expression of culture. Many anthropological perspectives and historical perspectives wouldn’t exist without it.”

“I’m also drawn to the endless interpretive possibilities of art. It’s interesting how two people can look at the same work of art and take away something different,” says Lendrum. “I try to understand how my own experiences influence the interpretations I make. Both the maker of art and the viewer of art bring their own distinct experience to that art piece.”

“Being an art historian also feeds my need for creative expression. Writing about art is one of the things I love most about art history,” she says.

And Lendrum’s been exercising all of those skills this summer as a Mellon curatorial intern at the RISD Museum. From June to August, she has been serving in the Contemporary and Modern Art Department. Her work entails researching and writing about objects, artists and art movements for upcoming exhibitions and assisting with educational programs.

“Every day is different,” she says. “I usually start the day with research and writing, then meet with my supervisor, take lunch and do more research and writing. During the last hour of the day, I organize and archive the book collection. I’ve done a little art handling, I’ve helped with new acquisitions, I’ve attended curatorial board meetings and I’ve helped teach a color theory class to students visiting the museum. Most days, however, are research heavy, which I love.”

In the future, Lendrum hopes to gain permanent employment as a curatorial assistant in a museum and then return to school to earn a Ph.D. so she can teach art history at the college level.

“You can take many different directions with an art history degree or any humanities degree,” she says. “If an occupation calls for critical thinking, writing and research, a humanities degree will open up many doors. It doesn’t have to be in the museum field. However, I would like to work in museums.”

“Rhode Island College has prepared me phenomenally well,” she notes. “I transferred to Rhode Island College from URI. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

“Connecting with professors is very easy to do at Rhode Island College because of its small class sizes and passionate professors. As an art history major, we’re required to do independent study projects that allow us to work one-on-one with a professor. It really hones your writing and analysis skills. Also, routinely I’ve gotten emails from the head of the Art History Department about job opportunities and internships. That’s how I learned about the internship at RISD.”

“Having professors who care about their students makes such a big difference, and there’s a lot of that going on at RIC. Overall, my academic background at Rhode Island College has allowed me to forge a solid foundation of art historical knowledge and an aptitude for curation.”

This promises to be a long marriage.

For information on a degree in art history, visit the Department of Art.