DALLAS, TX.- This spring, the 2008-2009 class of McDermott Interns will present the second intern-curated exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art, titled Life in Space: Staging Identity. The exhibition will be on view from March 6 through May 3, 2009 on the Mezzanine 2 level of the Museum, outside the Mildred R. and Frederick M. Mayer Library.

Life in Space features 34 works of art from the Museum’s collections, and includes paintings, photographs and works on paper from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The pieces in this exhibition represent a rich variety of spaces, ranging from the imposing cityscape to the dusty road. In each work, the artist has provided visual cues—such as architecture, fashion, or interaction between figures—that reflect the values and ideas of the society to which the space belongs. Life in Space seeks to explore ways artists represent the complex and reciprocal relationship between environment and identity.

“We picked a theme that would help us investigate and understand the way the relationship between space and identity unfolds and Life in Space will show that,” said Kim McCarty, McDermott Curatorial Intern. “We were drawn to the attention to space and the idea of the viewer’s identity in Olafur Eliasson’s works and were able to relate this idea to certain works in the Museum’s collections.”

Highlights of the exhibition include several works from Ando Hiroshige’s woodblock print series, The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido ; photographs by Lynn Lennon and Geoff Winningham, along with several photographs by Bill Owens, among others; and prints from other prominent European and American artists.

“We wanted to create an exhibit that applied to everyone, everywhere,” said Christina Zendt, McDermott Education Intern. “Shakespeare said ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.’ This idea is so true, yet something we rarely think about. These works of art are a wonderful way to spark people’s curiosity about that relationship.”

This year’s interns worked closely with DMA staff Kevin W. Tucker, The Margot B. Perot Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, and Lisa Kays, Manager, Public Programs, to develop Life in Space. “This project provides the interns with a superb opportunity to collaborate with their peers in the development of an exhibition project of their own design—from original concept to full resolution,” Tucker said. “It is our hope that such a richly tangible effort may serve as a valuable part of their training at the Dallas Museum of Art, further preparing them for a career within the curatorial field.”

Through gallery talks and educational programming that investigate the concept of social space and identity, this exhibition will draw connections to works throughout the museum.

The Dallas Museum of Art’s 2008–2009 McDermott Interns are Cortney Garman, a graduate of Southern Methodist University with a BA in Art History and a BFA in Studio Art; Holly Harrison, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma completing her MA in art history; Isabel Heyer, a graduate of the University of Arizona with a BA in Art History; Kristina Hilliard, a student at the University of North Texas pursuing her PhD in Art Education; Nico Machida, a graduate of Stanford University with a BA in Art History; Kim McCarty, a student at the University of North Texas completing her MA in Art History ; Cara Romano, a graduate of Ohio University with both an MA in Art History and an MFA in Sculpture; and Christina Zendt, a graduate of Tulane University with an MA in Art History.

Through the Eugene McDermott Education Fund, the Museum selects eight interns each year out of hundreds of applicants for positions in the Curatorial and Education divisions. Aside from planning their exhibition, the interns are responsible for giving gallery talks, training docents, working with students and educators, assisting the curators and education staff members in their respective departments, authoring and designing materials, gallery installations, and research.

Former McDermott Curatorial Interns have been offered positions at institutions such as Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art and the Getty Villa in Malibu, among others.