The Beauty of Humanity Through Art by Ariana

The Beauty of Humanity Through Art by Ariana - August 2024 Scholarship Essay

As a child, art of any kind made me wild with excitement. I dreamed of becoming a professional artist and having my own studio where I could sing, paint, draw, and do whatever I wanted! As I grew older, that passion fell away. One day, I went to a museum in Pasadena, California where my passion was reignited, but this time, in another form. I started to dream of writing and researching about art from the past. I was starry-eyed with the idea that I would form relationships with people long gone just through the art they left behind. I began to explore career options in art history and stumbled upon art conservation. I was immediately taken by the idea of caring for pieces of history. Spending hours with something that someone hundreds of years ago took time to meticulously craft, and there I would be, caring for it as if it were a newborn child in need of nourishment.

Then, I came to college. I took a physical anthropology class my second semester and every day, I would come away with a lump in my throat and an abundance of love for humanity. I realized that besides studying art history, something that already makes my heart boom, I would love to minor in archaeology when given the chance when I transfer.

As for my current educational goals, I am planning on transferring to the University of California, Irvine where, as stated above, I will be majoring in art history and minoring in archaeology. Although I am not sure what era of art I want to specialize in, I am more than positive that during the next year or when I transfer, I will figure it out with the help of independent research and art history courses at my current college. There is so much to learn from art during any period in any region that it feels impossible to choose.

As I move through my education, I am positive that my studies will not only help me figure out a field of specialization, but to gain even more knowledge than I would have if I just went through art conservation internships and short-term educational programs. With the help of education, I will be able to connect with professionals in the field of art conservation and receive their guidance through university courses. Through these courses, I will be able to understand the care needed for certain pieces based on historical context. I will be able to form a deeper connection with these pieces being taken care of, which I believe is necessary to be an excellent conservator. All of this will be achieved due to art history courses that will deepen my understanding of art.

If all goes well, I see myself working in my own private practice, with the Huntington Library, or working with the Getty Museum after getting my master's degree at the University of California, Los Angeles. I see myself living in an apartment somewhere in Southern California and feverishly researching art history in my free time for the simple enjoyment of it. I see myself working in a healthy work environment where my coworkers and I work as a team on pieces, where we all take the utmost care of our work.