Hometown: Haslett, MI
Major and class standing: Art History, Senior
Where you interned at: MSU Surplus Store, East Lansing MI
What was your internship title and role/responsibilities?
As a Student Lister with the MSU Surplus Store, my responsibilities included identifying books of art prints to process, disassembling and cutting prints to be photographed, and curating photo spreads of prints to facilitate sales.
How did you obtain your internship? What resources did you utilize to secure your internship?
I have worked at the Surplus Store since May 2023 and discussed with my supervisor if there was anything I could do at the Surplus Store for my internship.
What did your daily routine include?
I mostly worked independantly, I would find books with large or interesting art prints to remove from the binding with a paper knife. Then I would separate each signature (group of folded pages) from the book and then further isolate each page. I used a paper cutter to remove the folded edge and excess paper that did not have prints. Then I used a large photo background laid on the floor to arrange the prints and take photos. I would then upload the photos to the computer and list, weigh, package, and price each item.
Your favorite experience from the internship (2-3 sentences)
I enjoyed the autonomy and freedom to prioritize my own task as well as deciding which prints to list and observing sales trends.
What was your least favorite part of the internship?
While I enjoyed taking photos of the prints, kneeling on a concrete floor and arranging them was physically taxing.
What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?
I certainly improved my time management skills by deciding which prints would take the most time to process and acting accordingly.
What did you learn about the industry or your career path as a result of the internship? What are your future plans?
I became very interested in online listing and auction work so I’ve been reaching out to people who work in auction houses as well as those in special collections and archives here at the university.
