{"id":168142,"date":"2026-08-17T09:51:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T13:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=168142"},"modified":"2026-08-17T09:52:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T13:52:16","slug":"curating-a-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2026\/08\/17\/curating-a-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Curating a career"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mikail Berger-Messenger, a painting and printmaking major at Wright State, curated \u201cFrom Campus to Community,\u201d featuring the work of college students and recent graduates, as part of his internship with the Dayton Society of Artists. (Photo by Erin Pence)<\/p><\/div>\n

After spending the summer learning how galleries bring exhibitions to life, Wright State University art student<\/a> Mikail Berger-Messenger got the chance to curate one himself.<\/p>\n

The painting and printmaking major curated \u201cFrom Campus to Community,\u201d his first exhibition, at Front Street in Dayton, showcasing the work of 17 college students and recent graduates, including five Wright State artists.<\/p>\n

Berger-Messenger\u2019s goal was to give emerging artists an opportunity to share their work with the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think all artists at some point in their life would like to have their art displayed,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s good to help out the new artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curating the exhibition allowed Berger-Messenger to apply everything he learned during his internship, from promoting the show and reviewing submissions to installing the artwork. As he arranged each piece, he had to think not only about spacing but also about how the artwork fit with the surrounding pieces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s also how different pieces work next to each other, how to bring small bits of color between each of them to make things flow together and vary the sizes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty proud of how it came out,\u201d he added. \u201cI was able to use all the skills that I\u2019ve learned over the internship and bring it into one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibition marked another milestone: it was also the first time Berger-Messenger publicly displayed his own artwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little nerve-wracking having people see your artwork, but I think it\u2019s a good experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The exhibition capped his internship with the Dayton Society of Artists, where he gained hands-on experience installing exhibitions, including in its spaces at the Dayton Metro Library, and learning the many details that go into presenting artwork.<\/p>\n

Berger-Messenger, who is pursuing an arts management certificate<\/a>, also helped with community workshops and figure drawing sessions and supported fundraising events that connect artists with the community.<\/p>\n

His experience highlights how Wright State\u2019s visual arts program helps students explore careers across the arts through hands-on learning opportunities. In addition to preparing students to become practicing artists, the program connects them with internships that open doors to careers throughout the arts, said Glen Cebulash, professor of art, who helped Berger-Messenger secure the internship.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the art world is diverse and multifaceted, our students can and do apply their knowledge and understanding to a variety of art and art-adjacent careers, such as curatorial work in galleries and museums, art education, nonprofit arts organizations and artist materials, which is a billion-dollar industry,\u201d he said. \u201cWe think it\u2019s critical that our students gain real-world experiences to enhance their artistic training, and we\u2019re grateful for all of our internship partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Art has been part of Berger-Messenger\u2019s life since childhood. Growing up with an artist for a mother, he spent much of his childhood creating alongside her.<\/p>\n

After arriving at Wright State with a background in painting, Berger-Messenger expanded his artistic skills by exploring new techniques and mediums. Although he initially wasn\u2019t sure about adding a second concentration, a printmaking class with Kim Vito, professor of art, convinced him to give it a try.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrintmaking was completely new since I\u2019d never done it before, so I\u2019ve learned different types of printmaking processes,\u201d he said. \u201cI like the physicality of it, carving into the wood block. I like the relief printmaking. I like the results \u2014 you can get a more graphic kind of look to your art.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berger-Messenger, who expects to graduate in spring 2027, hopes to build a career as a freelance artist while working in a gallery or museum. His internship and first curatorial experience confirmed that he\u2019s found the right path.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the community aspect of it, bringing art to other people and bringing artists in the community together,\u201d he said. \u201cI think everybody needs art in their life, even if you\u2019re not an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to go<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cFrom Campus to Community\u201d is on display through Aug. 25 at Front Street\u2019s Project Pit. To schedule an appointment, contact Tamiko Stump, director of the Dayton Society of Artists, at director@daytondsa.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mikail Berger-Messenger, a painting and printmaking major, curated \u201cFrom Campus to Community,\u201d showcasing the work of college students and recent graduates, as part of his internship with the Dayton Society of Artists. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":168148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,2037,2034,4859,725,747,715,4298,2061],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-168142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-arts-scene","category-career-services","category-fine-and-performing-arts","category-home-news-sidebar","category-liberal-arts","category-news","category-student-profile","category-undergraduate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168142"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":168161,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168142\/revisions\/168161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}