OTTAWA, ON.- The National Gallery of Canada (NGC) and the National Gallery of Canada Foundation announced the five recipients of the TD Bank Financial Group Internships for the 2009-10 academic year. Established through the generous support of the TD Bank Financial Group, this program allows the National Gallery to offer a paid twelve-week study, training and work experience opportunity to five new professionals specializing in Art Museum Education, Museum Collections Management, and Art Librarianship and Archive Practice.

"The TD Internships make it possible for us to foster the development and training of the next generation of Canadian collections managers, librarians, archivists, and museum educators through a formal, paid apprenticeship. We applaud TD Bank Financial Group for their continued support of this invaluable program,” said National Gallery of Canada Director Marc Mayer.

“Museum education enriches the Canadian learning experience,” said TD Bank Financial Group Vice-President of Government and Community Relations Scott Mullin. “We are pleased to support a Canadian landmark like the National Gallery of Canada and its Foundation in their efforts to foster greater learning opportunities for aspiring museum professionals.”

The President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Gallery of Canada Foundation, Marie Claire Morin, noted the vision and leadership demonstrated by TD Bank Financial Group. “This Founding Partner of the Foundation established the National Gallery’s remunerated Internship program, which is unique in this field in Canada, and has since supported it. We are grateful to TD Bank Financial Group for their long-standing commitment to the program and to our institution.”

Art Librarianship and Archive Practice
The 2009-10 TD Internships in Art Librarianship and Archives Practice were awarded to Marie-Pier Cantin and Shane McCord.

Marie-Pier Cantin holds a B.A. in Art History from the Université du Québec à Montréal and is presently studying for a Master’s degree in Information Sciences at the Université de Montréal. She previously worked at the Château Ramezay Museum in Montreal. During her internship at the National Gallery, Ms. Cantin focused on a special project to inventory publications by the National Gallery of Canada.

Shane McCord holds a Master’s degree in Art History from Concordia University in Montreal and recently completed a Joint Master’s degree in Library Sciences and Archival Studies at The University of British Columbia. He has been working at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. During his internship, Mr. McCord worked on the papers of a Canadian art historian.

Museum Collections Management
The two recipients of the Collections Management Internship are Emily Fitzpatrick and Maria Szabo.

Emily Fitzpatrick has an Honours B.A. in the Theory and History of Art from Carleton University and a certificate in Applied Museum Studies from Algonquin College in Ottawa. She has been involved in several research and documentation projects for such institutions as Library and Archives Canada, Carleton University Art Gallery, and the Museum London in London, Ontario. During her internship at the National Gallery, Ms. Fitzpatrick created descriptive catalogue records, and completed the documentation of sketchbooks, albums, and portfolios to facilitate their digital imaging and accessibility for export.

Maria Szabo holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from York University, Toronto, and a Master’s in Art History from The University of Western Ontario, London. An artist with curatorial and exhibition experience, she has taught at The University of Western Ontario and has worked on collection research projects for the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives and the Museum London. During her internship, Ms. Szabo created records in the collections management system for exhibitions organized and/or hosted by the National Gallery of Canada since 1880.

Art Museum Education
Madison Cumbaa is the recipient of the Art Museum Education Internship for 2009-10.

Ms. Cumbaa is pursuing a B.A. in Fine Art History and French Literature at Victoria University in the University of Toronto. Building on her experience in the arts and her interest in connecting teens with art, Ms. Cumbaa researched teen culture, museum programs for teens, and the Gallery’s collection in order to develop a program for teens visiting the Gallery, in-person or virtually. This project will contribute to teen programming initiatives at the Gallery.