- Co-curator and Co-director of Art Historian Collective Porter & Jenkinson
- BA History of Art, 2009
Kaylee graduated in 2009 with a BA in History of Art she is now working as Co-curator and Co-director of Art Historian Collective Porter & Jenkinson, and also as a Retail and Admissions assistant at Imperial War Museum North, in Manchester.
What inspired you to pursue a career in galleries?
"My History of Art degree has been instrumental in my various roles in art galleries; nowhere more so than in the exhibition organised as part of Porter & Jenkinson. My dissertation at Birmingham, which was about 1890s Britain, provided the inspiration for my first exhibition – which was a selection of contemporary artists’ responses to the strange and dark aesthetics of the Victorians. Studying in the incredible surroundings of the Barber Institute has been invaluable too, from working with curatorial files in individual essay writing, to giving presentations in front of artworks in the gallery. More than anything, studying History of Art in these surroundings made me even more determined to pursue a career in galleries and museums."
How has your degree helped you in your career?
"Studying History of Art at the University of Birmingham was absolutely vital in securing my internship with the Research and Cultural Collections team, which has in turn been the more important work experience of my career so far. I have also found History of Art a great basis for gallery based jobs, in particular the method of research and writing which you take for granted when studying. A degree has been the minimum requirement for all jobs and internships which I have so far had."