ARCA Staff Profile: Summer Resident Intern Kirsten Hower Assists on the Third Annual International Art Crime Conference in Amelia

Kirsten Hower in Florence

ARCA Editor Catherine Schofield Sezgin 'talks' with summer resident intern Kirsten Hower.

Kirsten Hower is one of the summer resident interns for ARCA, specializing in research and helping to organize events as well as writing for ARCA. She received her B.A. in Art History from Washington College in 2010, graduating with departmental honors, and recently completed a year long post-baccalaureate program at Studio Arts Center International (SACI) in Florence, Italy, where she completed a thesis on the flow of religious reform ideas through the influence on artists. This fall she will be starting the MLitt program in the Arts of Europe at Christie's Education in London, England.

What area of art crime do you enjoy following (reading, researching)?

Kirsten: I really enjoy the quirky stories behind the thefts, such as the theft of Goya's "Portrait of the Duke of Wellington" from London's National Gallery in 1961 and the resulting trial. I also really enjoy reading about incidents of iconoclasm and the beliefs that push people to do such things to art.

My favorite place to sit in Amelia is the patio of Bar Leonardi. Do you have a favorite place?

Kirsten: I'm very much a fan of sitting in front of Bar Leonardi, especially for appertivos and watching the sun set behind the walls of Amelia. But I think my favorite place would be the "Bond Bar" which is the house of one of the students this summer. It's a gorgeous gardened backyard that overlooks the surrounding countryside and it's perfect for a bottle of wine and great conversation.

When I first went to Amelia in 2009, I was astounded by the cleanliness of the town and the beauty of the views of the surrounding countryside. What was your initial impression of Amelia?

Kirsten: Fortunately, this is my second time visiting Amelia (I presented at the conference last year) and both times I have been amazed by how picturesque the town is and how warm and friendly the town is. I grew up in a small town, and everyone was always friendly, but Amelia has a certain charm that is all it's own.

What are your expectations for this summer?

Kirsten: I'm expecting to thoroughly enjoy myself while I'm here--which I already am. I'm hoping to get a lot of work and writing done, in combination with my ARCA projects and my own personal research. I'm looking forward to joining the students on their field trips and sitting in on some of the classes. I'm also really excited to attend the conference, more so this year because I'm helping to organize it so it will be overwhelming to see it come to fruition.

And, of course, Amelia has lots of venues for live music. Do you play an instrument or sing?

Kirsten: Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I neither sing in public nor do I play an instrument.