Several weeks ago, my Italian class was filming a project and we realized we needed museum footage for one of our shots. Since the new Harvard Art Museums had just opened, we didn’t know if we’d be able to gain access at all, let alone with filming equipment. My professor gave me the name of woman who I ended up spending several days communicating with – she helped me schedule a time to come to the museum and helped us figure out which art would be best for the scene we needed. When it came time to follow her advice, she was incredibly helpful: she met us at the entrance of the museum, took us on a mini-tour, guided us through the filming progress, and even spoke Italian to boot! I had such a wonderful experience working with her that I thought that all Harvard collegiettes could benefit from learning more about the amazing opportunities the new museums provide – as well as learning a little more about one of the fantastic women who help make them happen! Without further ado, meet Danielle Carrabino!
Name: Danielle Carrabino
Occupation: Curatorial Research Associate, Division of European and American Art, Harvard Art Museums
Hometown: I was born in Tallahassee, Florida but I moved to Florence, Italy as a child and I still consider it my hometown!
Describe yourself in 3 words: energetic, curious, international
Favorite place visited: Istanbul, Turkey
Favorite part of your job: Working in close proximity to art, research, and interaction with students
Favorite work of art in the new Harvard Art Museums: Ooh, that’s a toughie! I’ll go with the Scipione Pulzone portrait of Cardinal Alessandrino (but that could change by tomorrow!).
What brought you to this job and to Harvard? I started at the museum as a fellow in 2006 when I was a doctoral candidate at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. I stayed on at the museum as a curatorial research assistant until 2009. I returned to the museum in late 2013 to help with the installation of the new building and try to catch up on the backlog of research.
Have you done similar work in the past or is this a new experience? The installation was entirely new to me but much of what I currently do as a research associate is similar to what I was doing before I left in 2009: cataloging works of art, researching provenance, maintaining and updating our curatorial object files and database.
What are some of the most exciting opportunities and experiences made available to students at the new museums? The ability to study works of art first hand, whether in our study centers or in the galleries, is unparalleled. When I used to teach art history, I always made sure to include a museum visit in each of my classes. For me, it is not enough to read about works of art and see them in reproduction. The only way to really get a sense of a work is through close viewing of the original object. Works of art were meant to be experienced directly, so I find this a fundamental exercise. It is the only way to get a sense of scale, color, the hand of the artist, and how we interact with an object. I think close looking is an important skill, not only for a student of art history, but across all disciplines. I like to think of our museum as another resource at Harvard in which learning takes place, akin to a library or a laboratory.
If you had only one hour at the museums, what would you make sure to go and see? The Bernini bozzetti, the Wertheim gallery, the Rothko exhibition, the Impressionist gallery, and corridor on the 3rd floor of Greek and Roman sculpture. That will cover all of the major bases and give the visitor a glimpse of our “highlights.” That said, every viewer will be able to forge their own paths, so this is just a suggestion. The beauty of art and the museums that house it is that works speak to different people in different ways. I think seeing the museum in consecutive chunks is ideal, but if I had only an hour, this is the route I would take!