We are pleased to welcome Yesenia Perez, the new Assistant Curator of
Education and Experience at WAM!
Yesenia, who started November 1, will oversee project teams for all
public education events, plan and coordinate docent training and continuing
education, and help create programming tied to our exhibitions.
Originally from Bethlehem, PA, Yesenia comes to us from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where she completed her MA in Art
and Museum Studies, focusing on Education and STEAM. Her studies
included six months in London, where she visited dozens of European museums and
art galleries. She finds the collection at WAM unique in its diversity –
not just in the range of the collection itself, but the way the art, themes and
even lighting change from one room to the next, creating a new and exciting
experience in each gallery. “Going from the Medieval Arms and Armor
gallery to the European galleries on the second floor is like seeing two
different worlds entirely, yet housed in the same museum.”
In the video below, Yesenia discusses her favorite piece of
art at WAM – “Interior of the Studio of Van Dael and his Students at the
Sorbonne” by Philippe Jacques van Bree (1816). This painting shows eight
female art students, a mix of wealthy women pursuing art in their leisure time
and professional artists perfecting their craft.
Out of the many upcoming exhibitions and events, Yesenia is especially looking forward to her first Flora in Winter this January, saying she's impressed with both the size of the program and its long history at WAM. But more than anything, Yesenia is excited to begin working with the
community of Worcester, to meet the people who live here and find out why they
love their Museum so much, and to better understand the important role WAM plays in the community.