This past summer, senior Art History major and Art Management minor Carlos Moreno was given the opportunity to work at the prestigious Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as an evaluation fellow. It would be easy to say that Moreno simply found exactly the right fit with The Warhol Museum—which he did—but the reality is that his journey began three years prior at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art. There, Moreno participated in the ICA’s Teen Conference Advisory Council, a collaborative project with other museum educators who aim to create a national dialogue about teen engagement programs in art museums. Through his participation, Moreno met The Warhol museum’s Director of Learning and Public Engagement, Danielle Linzer, who set him down the path toward his fellowship at The Warhol Museum.
At The Warhol, Moreno operated across multiple sectors of the museum, including Learning and Public Engagement, Marketing, Education, Curatorial, Film and Video; all of which informed his evaluation of a potential diversity program at The Warhol. “[This diversity program] offers the chance to change the face of the institution as a whole—through evaluating the diversification of museum leadership initiatives.” As a nationwide program, the initiative provides a pipeline for young people from historically underrepresented backgrounds to gain entry into the museum field.
Moreno also assessed the current state of The Warhol’s teen council alongside the museum’s Inclusion Programs Coordinator and its Youth Programs Coordinator. Describing the significance of evaluating The Warhol’s teen programs Moreno states, “Working with teens has been the centerpiece of my experience in museums and to be on the backend evaluating the work that The Warhol is doing alongside these program coordinators was one of the most memorable experiences.”
As some lasting advice for any student struggling to find opportunities in their area of study or passions Moreno said, “I think it’s important to be proactive and be aware of the opportunities available to you, and to do your research on whatever it may be that you are passionate about and just remember to not be afraid of going out into the world.”
As far as future plans for Moreno, he has his first curated exhibition for the summer of 2020 in the works to open in his hometown of San Antonio, TX.