A Reflection From the Intern — Adrian Wong
It’s finally been a full academic year of working with Gary on the Goldsmith Photography Collection (our decided name) and we’ve accomplished quite a bit. To review— we’ve looked at over 70,000 images cumulatively from the contact sheets, prints, and some slides; digitized all of the black and white contact sheets; built a website for the collection from scratch (the one you’re looking at); organized the archive; and taken strides towards public outreach to institutions. It certainly has been quite a lot that we’ve accomplished as a team.
Despite some initial shortcomings in the first semester in terms of institution outreach, we’ve used the opportunity to assess our priorities. We decided what we want to show and how best to show it and directed our fervor toward creating this website,the most universally “tangible” documentation of the Goldsmiths’ work. The overwhelming project we began with is now much less daunting, but there is still much to do. We’ve only covered around 3% of the slides so it seems like something that Gary will have to take on with the next interns in the coming semesters.
In working for the Goldsmith Photography Collection (GPC), I’ve gained a plethora of both professional and personal insights. To start, I’ve developed better problem-solving skills, particularly in defining organizational frameworks. It was definitely a very vital skill to cultivate, since we had to decide on how we wanted to approach the archive and find a multifaceted solution which would do it justice. Another in the same vein would be identifying core strengths and themes of the collection, then using contemporary mediums (website, blog posts, audio, interview) to convey such ideas; working on the website, I was able to capitalize on some of my previous site-building experience, graphic design, and photography skills to create a cohesive identity for the GPC. By virtue of being a part of the process from the beginning, Gary and I had a very successful time in kick starting the project.
On a personal front, having looked at the sheer number of photos and utilizing my own taste and style in curating the selection has also been very fruitful to my development as a photographer and artist. In addition, it would be remiss to not mention the wonderful time I’ve had working with Gary.From conversations about horticulture and car insurance to bonding over being only children, I’ve realized how similar Gary and I are in our shared pragmatism and curiosity about life. I’m glad I’m able to call him a mentor and a friend.
