On January 15th, the Art History Department held a workshop in their series designed to help students like me discover career paths in Art History. Focusing on careers in auction houses and art galleries, the department hosted alumni Emily Crowley ‘06 and Devon Mifflin ‘21 to provide us with the opportunity to learn about the commercial art world. Crowley and Mifflin described their paths after being Art History Majors at Dartmouth and fielded many questions from students about their work in the field.
After writing a research paper for a high school history class on the Black Arts Movement, Mifflin became interested in Art History and came to Dartmouth hoping to pursue the Major. The Hood Museum of Art reopened right at the beginning of her time here. She quickly got involved by becoming one of the first members of the Museum Club. She went on to intern at the Hood Museum during her sophomore summer and completed a remote internship with the museum during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her exploration of career opportunities, Mifflin received the advice to work in the three major art groups: art galleries, auction houses, and museums. During the fall of her junior year, she interned at Aquavella Galleries' New York location, where she helped with two exhibitions and saw the November auction season in the city. She went on to take a remote course with the Sotheby’s Institute, which sparked her interest in auction houses and helped her get a job at Sotheby’s Auction House after graduation. She began as an assistant to the Head of Contemporary Art for the Americas and Private Sales for the Americas. She is currently a Cataloger for the Now and Contemporary Evening Auction at Sotheby’s, one of the auction house’s most profitable sales, with auctions in May and November.
During the workshop, Mifflin described the breadth of work she does each day, including in-depth research into the provenance of works in upcoming sales, essays about each work, and conversations with clients about current exhibitions. For her, no two days are the same. She employs the writing and research skills she developed at Dartmouth every day, especially those she learned during her senior year while working with Professor Mary Coffey on her honors thesis.
Crowley also wrote her honors thesis with Professor Coffey. Her most memorable class at Dartmouth was a course taught in the Hood Museum of Art on Rembrandt’s etchings, but she did not begin her time at Dartmouth with an Art History degree in mind. After taking Art History 1, Crowley was inspired to take more classes and eventually completed an internship at Acquavella Galleries, New York. During the internship, she simultaneously worked for an art publication to build her range of experiences. After graduating, Crowley completed a Master’s Degree at the Institute of Fine Arts in New York, where she took courses on art connoisseurship and curating. After being blown away by the quality of art she saw at Acquavella, she found her way back to the gallery. She has now worked for Acquavella Galleries for 21 years, and is currently Director and Head of Exhibitions and Publications at Acquavella. She spends most of the year working at Acquavella’s Palm Beach location and spearheading exhibitions there.
Now that I am in my senior year and majoring in Art History, I am thinking a lot about what is next to come in my own career journey. I write this from the perspective of having recently completed my own internship at Acquavella Galleries during my Junior year, much like Crowley and Mifflin. I supported two exhibitions, one on portraiture and the other on contemporary artist Miquel Barceló. These shows allowed me to witness how much goes into putting on an exhibition–from research essays and catalogues to the work gallery directors do each day to support their clients. Outside of my research on works new to the gallery, I spent my time at the front desk welcoming visitors and speaking with them about the exhibitions.
During the career workshop, Crowley imparted to us what she had learned from the longtime owner of Acquavella Galleries, William Acquavella. He described how a career in the art world is not a nine-to-five. Working with art is a way of living. I witnessed this during my time at the gallery, as I saw how much helping people connect with art meant to those who worked there. During the workshop, Mifflin described the “warm feeling” she gets when she sees a work she loves and how it inspires her to keep going. I think all of us who study art find that feeling in some capacity, that curiosity and connection. Mifflin and Crowley encouraged us to follow it.
I learned from those I worked with at Acquavella to always be curious and flexible, because each experience is a chance to discover new interests and skills that will guide my career journey. As Crowley and Mifflin described, there is rarely a straight path into the commercial art field. There is no specific GPA, internship, or Master's program that will place you in the career you want. We are fortunate at Dartmouth to have both the opportunities provided by the Hood Museum of Art and a strong Art History Department full of resources to support us on our academic journeys. Take advantage of them. Create and maintain connections with the people here, and don’t hesitate to reach out to alumni and others in the careers you hope to find yourself in one day.
- Anja Grover '26
