Olivia Lara ’22 Draws Inspiration from a Museum Internship

As a high school student at Westmark, Olivia Lara felt at home in the classroom of Cynthia Hersch, Fine Arts Teacher and Department Chair. This past summer, she found herself back in an art-studio setting—this time facilitating art projects for young children as part of a prestigious summer internship at the Skirball Cultural Center.

After graduating from Westmark in 2022, Olivia enrolled at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she is pursuing a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on history and religion. Currently a senior, she plans to stay an extra year to complete a minor in art history.

To round out her studies, Olivia sought practical work experience through the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internships program. This program offers paid summer internships at LA museums and related organizations for college students from backgrounds underrepresented in the visual arts. When she landed the Family Programs Internship at the Skirball, Olivia was excited to tell Ms. Hersch, whom she credits for fostering her love of art. “Ms. Hersch was an impactful teacher,” she explains, “and the art studio [at Westmark] was my oasis.” 

During her ten-week stint at the Skirball, Olivia worked primarily in the Family Art Studio, engaging multigenerational visitors in making art, as well as inside the popular children’s and family gallery known as Noah’s Ark (where she sometimes operated a cool little chicken puppet, pictured above!). She also took on a special project: to create a family-friendly activity booklet for the exhibition Visions and Values: Jewish Life from Antiquity to America. Illustrated by Olivia and conceived in collaboration with museum curators and educators, the booklet is now in use at the Skirball!

Reflecting upon her seven years at Westmark, Olivia is appreciative of teachers like Ms. Hersch who believe that students with learning differences (LD) can achieve their dreams. She brought that perspective to her work with kids at the Skirball. “Having that awareness that everyone has gifts and strengths—I bring that with me everywhere because you never know who might need to feel encouraged,” she explains. Olivia’s supervisor, Sarah Podsiadlo, added, “It was very eye-opening for me to learn about her dyslexia. It made me rethink how I present instructions and texts in the Family Art Studio and how I can be more aware and inclusive of learning differences.”

Looking ahead, Olivia is now revising her plan to work in a traditional classroom setting. Museum education may well be in her future, thanks to a meaningful summer at the Skirball. During this National Arts in Education Week, we send Olivia the best of luck!