This week on the blog, we continue our Staff Spotlight with Lydia Brown, Visitor Services Assistant!
How long have you been at the Gibbes?
I have been at the Gibbes since August 2018 as an employee for Visitor Services.
Describe your role here at the museum.
I assist all guests with their visit to the Gibbes. This could mean finding the perfect gift in our shop or discussing the best way to explore our finely curated exhibits. If they have any questions about the history of the museum and our artwork I am able to inform them or direct them to the best person for the job.
What brought you to the Gibbes? Tell us about how you ended up here!
Originally, I was an employee in The Daily at the Gibbes and started to cover Sunday shifts at the Visitor’s Services desk. I got more involved with the museum because of my passion for art. I have a B.F.A. in dance from The College of Charleston. I consider myself well-versed in the overwhelming effect all kinds of art can have on our world and society. So, I find my position here not only necessary, but fun and interesting.
What is your favorite work in the collection and why?
I enjoy the entire Miniatures Collection in Gallery 5. The idea that an artist had to create in such small painstaking detail is just mind-boggling to me. And, the traditions that the Miniatures represent of Southern art and society are appealing to me as someone who yearns to understand those that came before us. It’s all a part of the quest to understand human nature and tendency.
Tell us about an interesting project you’ve worked on here at the Gibbes.
I have not worked on any projects specifically, yet, but, it is a good feeling to be here whenever we have children for camps or classes. I like the idea that the next generation is being cultivated by artists.
Besides the Gibbes, where do you take friends and family for the quintessential Charleston/Lowcountry experience?
Whenever my mother comes into town, I like to take her for a walk around the historic district and the galleries. This way we get to see some modern representation of Charleston art and the remnants of what the past looked like. I enjoy the window into history that the city presents on any given day. And, I always end any trip with a leisurely walk along the battery, the sound of the Ashley River and the sight of Charleston Harbor always bring me peace because they do not ask anything of me, I can just be who I am in that moment.
-Lydia Brown, Visitor Services Assistant and guest blogger
-Published April 5, 2019
-Top image: Lydia Brown enjoying the beauty of the Lowcountry landscape.