Hunter’s Muse Scholars Took an Artful Approach to Summer

For the creative, high-achieving students in Hunter's Muse Scholar Program, the summer of 2014 presented an opportunity to focus full-time on a favorite intellectual pursuit. Through jobs and internships at museums, galleries, theaters, schools and other institutions, many of these talented undergraduates continued their learning, gained valuable work experience, and made important personal and professional contacts in the "off months" of June, July and August.

The experiences of rising juniors Ezra Benus, Nelly Gordpour and Sandra Talbot were typical of Muse Scholar summers this year.

Ezra Benus '16, a painter, spent his summer completing Brandeis University's BIMA Internship in Jewish Arts Education - a program that welcomes a select group of university students interested in learning and teaching the arts in a Jewish context. Benus and his fellow interns lived on campus and, working with members of Brandeis's distinguished faculty, pursued professional development in a chosen field.

"I learned so much about education, specifically about teaching art," Ezra said. "The summer was so inspiring that I painted one of my favorite and largest paintings yet, 8.8 feet x 5.4 feet."

Nelly Gordpour '16, a photographer, was the Teen Academy Intern at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in Manhattan. Her duties included outreach, program implementation, assessment, archiving and database maintenance. Gordpour also worked as an ICP teaching assistant for a black-and-white darkroom photography class.

"She was one of our best interns by far," an ICP representative said. "The students loved working with her, and her instructor spoke very highly of her contributions to the class."

When Gordpour wasn't at ICP, she was on the Hunter campus, building the Photographers Collective, which she now serves as Secretary. Successfully launched this fall, the club offers photography workshops, hosts a gallery show, and publishes images by Hunter students.

Sandra Talbot '16, a visual artist and aspiring doctor, spent the summer in the Health Career Opportunities Program at NYU's Rusk Institute. The program allowed Talbot to lay the foundation for her future medical education by shadowing medical residents and attending diagnostic radiology conferences. She also volunteered in the emergency department of the Rutgers NJMS University Hospital in New Jersey.

Reflecting on Talbot's dual interests and talents, Muse Director Dara Myers-Kingsley said, "We need doctors who are artists, too, don't we?"