Ariela Algaze - YAP Internship Week 1 @ National Portrait Gallery

Every morning at around 9:15, I get off of my bus and start walking towards the National Portrait Gallery. Every morning, without fail, I find myself blown away by the beauty of the building itself, with its Parthenon-esque columns and its imposing marble façade. 

I consider myself so incredibly lucky to be an intern here, and to spend my days surrounded by art and historical artifacts.

My main duties lie in the Education Center, where I am helping in the Portraits Alive! arts education program. Portraits Alive! is a 6-week program for DC area teenagers to teach them acting, research, and writing skills. Each teenager picks a "sitter" (a person important to American history featured in the NPG), delves into research using the museum's collections and outside resources, and writes a monologue from the perspective of their sitter. The program will culminate in a series of presentations, where the teens act as docents and lead a tour around the gallery, performing their monologues for the public.

I find myself in the enjoyable -- albeit a bit awkward -- position of being responsible for guiding and mentoring these teenagers, despite the fact that I am only a little older than they are. I have led impromptu acting exercises, edited and helped rewrite monologues, and provided logistical support to the Education Center staff. I am proud of what these kids have accomplished thus far, and can't wait to see how they grow as actors, as writers, and as learners.

Since I am interested in art history as a career path, I am planning on reaching out to curators and historians at the NPG to learn more about their fields. 

Until next week!

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