A warm welcome for Stella Südekum, ArLiSNAP’s new Communications Liaison!

Stella will be running a weekly newsletter for ArLiSNAP. Stay tuned for more news!

Hello, All! As a blossoming professional in the fields of art and librarianship, I am ecstatic to join the ArLiSNAP community as its communications liaison! I’m in a very transitional point in my life and career, so new projects and changes are as follows: This past May, I finished my BA in Art History with a concentration in Art Conservation from the University of Delaware. The first two years of my undergraduate studies were happily spent at Johnson County Community College in my hometown of Overland Park, Kansas. During my two years of study at UD, I was lucky to work in the Special Collections department of its Morris Library as a student library assistant. I relocated to Philadelphia following my graduation to continue volunteering as a research assistant with the Penn Museum’s Cultural Heritage Center and to seek further career development. I plan to begin assisting part-time in front-of-house duties and online marketing at Jules Goldman’s Books and Antiques starting in July, and am eagerly searching for more art and art library career opportunities within my new community (hence my avid fellowship of this very web-page).

My interest in art librarianship stems from my love of the cultural heritage of the Ancient Near East, the cradle of language, poetry, and civilization! Studying its written material culture is my passion in art history, and also speaks to my propensity in art conservation for ancient objects, archives, and collection preservation. I have interned at the Penn Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, Winterthur Museum & Library, completed art restoration work with the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute in parts of Italy, and volunteered with various community arts organizations–such as the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City–and with smaller academic museums–like the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

I’m a passionate academic, so when I’m not trying to learn 10 new dead languages or I can’t find a scholarly position to volunteer for, I can be found frequenting many of the fabulous vegan eateries within the greater Philadelphia area, cooking up a storm, hiking/biking/exploring with my beautiful golden retriever, listening to loud evil music, or experiencing the general creative struggles of an artist. As an art historian must, I love to write and I have enjoined contributing to outreach initiatives within my past organizations. I hope that the up-and-coming newsletter will help foster a stronger ArLiSNAP community by improving and simplifying its communication outlets. I look forward to working with the Moderators, Liaisons, and all of you worldwide ArLiSNAPers on this and future projects!