Our students enjoyed a visit from Colleen Grant ’07, Collection Manager at the New York Public Library. Grant earned her B.A. in art history from Loyola University Maryland and her M.A. in Museum Studies from The George Washington University. She completed internships at The Walters Art Museum, the Newseum, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and the Supreme Court of the United States. After graduate school, Colleen worked for 3 years at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.
At the NY Public Library, Grant and her team are responsible for the preservation and stewardship of the Library’s world-renowned research collections, consisting of more than 46 million items. She expressed honor and joy in preserving pieces that inspire lifelong learning, and credited this passion for the arts to her teacher in AP Art History and Women in the Arts classes at Ursuline.
Our students asked some great questions which sparked further conversation, such as “What is your favorite piece that you’ve researched in a collection?” or “What is the procedure in the event of a fire or flood?” Grant ended her visit with some sound advice for our students. “Stay in touch with your teachers and friends, step out of your comfort zone, keep an open mind, and remain flexible.”
