My role at Artex Fine Art Services was to provide organizational structures toward current and past projects, as well as to give input on promotional materials of its services for clients and the public. It is not always a guarantee that an employee, and especially an undergrad intern, will find a position that matches their professional work area strengths, but this co-op allowed me to utilize skill sets that come naturally to me. The first is organization, and attention to detail along with it. I created a timeline of client exhibition schedules, including researching and inputting these dates into a database file. The second of these two projects was to familiarize myself with a shared company drive and determine how to best consolidate the contents so that the drive could be more efficient for employees to use. While most coworkers were taken aback by this task – “that drive is a mess!” I would often hear – I didn’t find it quite as daunting as most of the others. Through determining division of materials used by different departments, and talking to various people from these departments, I was able to determine a way to group files that was useful and well organized.
I didn’t dislike these two main projects but my favorite, and most unexpected, project was providing personal input on marketing materials and their graphic design. I think it’s uncommon for an intern to be able to provide feedback on materials for a company they are working for short-term, so I was pleased that my boss and supervisor of the company, John Jacobs, included me on these projects. I was able to sit in on face-to-face meetings and correspond via email with the design company founders. I provided suggestions as well as images of my choice to represent the company in their designs. My introduction to the shared drive gave me an advantage here – I had dove into the depths of the image files, disorganized as they were, and made note of which could be used for print. Sadly, I have not yet seen the printed product of the company brochure and holiday card yet, but I hope to in the future! My attention to detail as well as my interest in art not only made this easy for me, but ensured that I enjoyed it, as well.
Artex’s mission, as stated on their website is to “provide our clients with the highest standard of service to handle, pack, move and protect their artwork and antique collections.” While I may not have helped to physically handle and move artwork while working here, I believe that I helped to both provide the company with organized information and files to help facilitate that process. I also worked collaboratively to create visual products that convey this mission to clients that depend on these services. A long roster of customers, ranging from museums and institutions, to a single person with a collection they value, have relied on this company for the quality services they provide. Through what I accomplished during my time here, I was able to reinforce and project this mission statement to the public.
