5 Things about Graduate summer intern MAGDALENA SOLANO

Graduate Student Magdalena Solano is BACC'S 2021 Paintings Summer Intern 

• Magdalena started her journey as an artist and a creator exploring various art techniques in via high school courses. She took to drawing as a medium in part due to the accessibility of drawing materials. Eventually her love grew and expanded to exploring museums and pursuing a degree in the arts. Magdalena continues to create when her busy graduate school schedule allows. 
• Magdalena is active in outreach and conversations about diversifying art conservation in academia and in the field at large. Learn more by watching "Can Museums Change?" a talk that Magdalena and her colleagues gave in the summer of 2020-  Their talk begins at the 1:54:38 mark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYXnZvl27Y
• She loves the variety of tasks that come along with being a conservator in training. From research to hands-on treatments and outreach Magdalena enjoys it all. One of her current ways to decompress from the busy world of conservation involves wheel throwing  and sculpting. 
• Interning at Balboa Art Conservation Center has also included a chance for Magdalena to dive into outreach and community engagement. Magdalena's work with the team will continue beyond her internship to  help support BACC's efforts around Cultural Preservation and Conservation in Chicano spaces. "Why and for Whose Benefit?" is a question Magdalena thinks often when it comes to the intent behind conservation and cultural preservation especially concerning communities of color. 
• Magdalena's impressive career is well underway. Following her summer internship here at BACC, she is off to New York where she'll intern this Fall with the Museum of Modern Art. Magdalena is set to graduate in 2022 from Winterthur/ University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. 

Magdalena in her own words- 
As a Southern California native, I was fortunate enough to have opportunities with excellent mentors where I gained conservation experience with a variety of materials in various museums and private practices in Los Angeles. My pre-program experiences include working as an objects conservation assistant for the J. Paul Getty Museum, a paintings conservation technician for Tatyana M. Thompson & Associates, a textile conservation intern for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and an objects conservation technician for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. In 2015, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History with departmental honors from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to conservation, I worked for various galleries and museums where I was able to gain experience in museum marketing, education, art handling, installation, curatorial research, visitor services, and art sales.
On a more personal note, I am a first-generation resident and college student. My Latinx background, identity, and culture is something that I hold close to my heart. As a result, I have been involved in groups and projects that focuses on racial justice and advocacy for underrepresented groups. Currently I have been able to combine my passions as a volunteer for APOYOnline, a non-profit organization that promotes communication, exchange, and professional development in the field of heritage preservation in the Americas and in Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries. I am currently also assisting in a project with mural conservator Kiernan Graves on completing research on Chicano murals in Santa Barbara, California. Read more about this project by clicking here. In my free time, I enjoy hiking and spending time with my dog, Pooka, and cat, Luna.










​