Spotlight on...Jason Vrooman

Author: Melissa Marshall

Jason Vrooman is a 2003 Middlebury graduate from Alexandria Bay, NY, currently pursuing a graduate degree in Art History at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. He spends much of his time at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, the museum affiliated with Williams College.



The Middlebury Campus: Was your major originally art-related?

Jason Vrooman: No, like every incoming Middlebury freshman I figured that I would be Pre-Med. After a semester of Chemistry, I realized that wasn't for me, so then I got into French, psychology and studio art. Actually, my favorite class at Middlebury was probably Medieval Christianity and Reformation. Kate Sonderegger made archaic subject matter exciting! I ended up being a Studio Art major with a minor in Psychology. Then, in the summer of 2001, after sophomore year, I worked with Sandi Olivo, the Curator of Education at Middlebury. I knew I loved art, and I knew I loved teaching so that was ideal for me. Then I interned at the New York Museum of Art and in Washington, D.C. I'm really thankful for what Middlebury offered in ways of art and exposure. I would not be pursuing this track had it not been for my time at Middlebury.



The Campus: How did you get involved with the Clark Museum?

JV: Well, part of the graduate program at Williams is administered directly between the institute and the College. [Laughs] I spend most of my time in the museum. A lot of graduate students have a work-study position either there or at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art). I can't think of a more ideal experience for someone who really wants to invest himself in studying art. I actually get to hold objects and I get a lot of chances to go to lectures because the professors talk often about their own work. There are so many diverse scholars here and you have so many opportunities to supplement your own research. The library is just amazing - 200,000 plus volumes just on art - and the interlibrary loan lets you get some rare books.



The Campus: What does your job entail?

JV: Last year, I worked in the education department at the Clark, and now, I'm working in the conservation laboratory on the Lennett fellowship. The lab focuses on American art conservation. I work four hours a week with the head of the conservation department on restoring a 17 foot long canvas of Jackson Pollock's No.2, 1949. The canvas is really weak and we think Pollock used house paints. It's hard to tell how house paints will react to certain treatments. The piece has already reacted poorly to treatments done by former conservationists, so we have to fix that and be careful. In my culminating work, I have to deliver an hour lecture of the process and on Jackson Pollock. Also, to complete the graduate program you have to write a 30 page qualifying paper, which is kinda like a thesis, but you don't end at that point. Then you have to hone it down to a 20-minute presentation, and there's a symposium where we all present. It's really good because not only do you learn about art, but you also develop presentation skills.



The Campus: Do you have any ideas about the topic of your paper?

JV: [Laughs.] Good question. I'm leaning more to late 19th-century French artists. Maybe Vuillard Edouard.



The Campus: What are some things that a visitor should definitely check out at the Clark?

JV: Our most famous pieces are probably John Singer Sargent's "Fumée d'Ambre Gris" and the 14th-century altar piece in the Renaissance Gallery. We also have French Impressionist art. I love this French Collection, but I like the American one too, especially the pieces by Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington. Our current exhibition is entitled "The Clark: Celebrating 50 Years in Nature." It's a celebration of the museum. The neat thing about it is that visitors voted on their 50 favorite works, and it showcases the single largest holding of Winslow Homer's works. There are also different performances throughout the year - chamber groups do classical music, there's also jazz, world music and a pretty regular film series. A lot of this is supplemented by MASS MoCA. Plus, it's always free to students.



The Campus: Do you have any plans for when you finish your grad work at Williams?

JV: I'll most likely go into museum education, but I may also do classroom. I'm also still keeping open the option of curator. I just want to someway be promoting the connection between public and art.