Last Thursday, November 17th the Sheldon Art Galleries hosted their first Career in the Arts Day where high school students from five different schools visited to learn more about arts careers. The Sheldon welcomed four universities Maryville University, Saint Louis University (SLU), Webster University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) who all sent representatives to talk to students and answer questions about the arts programs at their schools.
The morning also featured six different speakers with a variety of jobs in the arts, including:
- Chris Peimann, Director of Marketing and Publicity at the Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries
- Jennifer Doyle, Associate Educator, Teacher and Student Learning at the St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM)
- Zoe Perkins, Textile Conservator at the St. Louis Art Museum
- Janet Brown, Executive Director, Dance St. Louis
- Kevin McCoy, Graphic designer and Owner of WORK/PLAY
- Olivia Lahs-Gonzales, Director of the Sheldon Art Galleries
Each presenter spoke of their own jobs and the process of getting to where they are now. All of them encouraged students to follow their passion in the arts and to see where it will lead them. Chris Peimann talked about how she learned that she could still be involved in the arts as she worked in marketing. Jennifer Doyle spoke of the opportunities that SLAM has for students to become museum assistants and also on the Teen Arts Council.
Zoe Perkins talked about what a conservator does, while Janet Brown spoke about the importance of arts. Kevin McCoy told the students not to let other people discourage them from something they love to do, and shared his own story from his student days. Olivia Lahs-Gonzales talked about being the director of the Sheldon Art Galleries and the many responsibilities of her position.
After the session on Thursday, the staff at The Sheldon brainstormed more ideas to make the next Career in the Arts Day even better than the first!
The Sheldon Art Galleries 