Marit Anderson is currently in her first semester in the M.A. Art History/Certificate in Museum Studies. She is enrolled in Methodology and Approaches of Art History and Museum Studies II: Collections, Curation, and Controversy.

Where did you go as an undergrad and what did you study?

I went to the University of Minnesota and studied Art History.

What drew you to the University St. Thomas?

Jayme Yahr (Assistant Professor and Director, Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies) came to a presentation where the University of Minnesota had graduate schools come in from the area. They talked about their program. This sounded like the best program because it has the Museum Studies component.

What advice would you give someone thinking of applying to the Graduate Art History/Museum Studies Certificate program at St. Thomas?

Be prepared for how much work there is.

What are you currently interested in? Why are you interested in that specifically?

I am really interested in Medieval art – specifically reliquaries. Reliquaries interest me because of their connections to Medieval Funerary/Death Culture and how that culture manifested in the church. Funerary/death culture is always something I’ve been surrounded by and interested in. Growing up, my dad worked in the funeral industry, and I am currently working for him (in the office, not out in the field) while I complete my grad school coursework.

How are your classes this semester? What are you liking so far?

They are going well. I’m really enjoying Museum Studies II: Collections, Curation and Controversy. I want to work with collections, so I’ve really been loving what I’ve been learning in the collections unit. Specifically, I really enjoyed the Collections Management Project, because it allowed us to really look at and critique how a real museum manages their collections. Even though it was a lot of work, I learned a lot from it. 

What has been your biggest challenge?

Just trying not to do everything. At first, I was going to do everything, but I had to take a step back. I was going to try and submit a paper for something, but not related to a class. Then I realized I can’t do that.