Finding a Voice Behind the Scenes

Maika Ueno

Maika Ueno spent the last year and a half as an intern with Plains Art Museum working on our permanent collection. Photo by Dave Arntson, Milestones Photography

When Plains Art Museum collections intern Maika Ueno first came to the United States from Japan to study art, she thought that fitting in with her American classmates meant acting like them. However, as a native of what she called a “very traditional culture,” she said it was a breath of fresh air to be encouraged to find her own voice.

In a twist, though, it was that very culture that gave her that voice.

“In art, I am required to express myself. To do this, I need a strong idea. In my art classes, all of the students have different ideas and a different background. In the United States, it’s good to be different from others. I like that,” Ueno said.

“When I started my art classes, I wanted to be like American students. But my teachers told me to respect my Japanese background. It is what made me an individual here,” she said.

Ueno grew up in Tsuruoka, a city located in Japan’s northwestern Yamagata prefecture (province) with a population around 139,000. After beginning her academic career at Akita International University, Ueno took advantage of the school’s exchange program and began to study printmaking at Minnesota State University Moorhead in the fall of 2004. At first, living here was a challenge, especially with the differences in language.

“My teachers taught me proper English,” she said. “They taught me to say food was ‘delicious.’ I got here and everyone said food was ‘yummy.’”

Ueno overcame those obstacles, creating delicate, nature-inspired prints (see below) in the process and having a positive college experience. After completing her bachelor’s degree, Ueno looked for internship opportunities and followed up on a recommendation from an instructor to apply for a year-long internship with Plains Art Museum. She began her internship in February, 2009, and for the last year and a half has been instrumental in helping the Museum complete its obligation to a National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation Assistance Grant, a task that required exhaustive work in preparing and maintaining the Museum’s permanent collection.

Maika Ueno, "Migration III"

Maika Ueno, "Migration III"

Her duties with the Museum included measuring, inspecting and cataloging prints, researching suppliers, mounting artwork, labeling and assigning artwork to storage, and framing and matting prints. In all, she logged over 820 hours of work, as much as a half-time staff member would work over the same time span.

Director of Collections and Operations Mark Ryan said that Ueno’s hard work instantly made her instrumental to Museum operations.

“Maika brought in an amazing level of energy and sense of dedication. She’s professional and brings a sense of curiosity and a desire to learn that ensures things get done right the first time,” Ryan said, “I can’t thank her enough.”

Ueno credits Ryan for much of what she learned over the course of her internship.

“In school, I studied studio art, but I did not know how to take care of collections. I didn’t know that there was such a thing, but taking care of collections is a big study. (Mark) told me how to choose materials for mounting, hinging, and framing and to use only specific materials to protect art and to use a specific method for mounting. Every day was a discovery of new things.”

“The collections part of a museum is behind the scenes, but it decides the museum’s quality,” she said.

Maika working

Maika works on the proper cataloging and storage of a print. Photo by Cody Jacobson.

Ueno also learned how to handle her own art and she is quick to pass her knowledge on to fellow artists.

“I discovered how many artists didn’t know a lot about mounting. I removed artwork from frames and after they were out of their frame, they were awful. I think students should learn how to protect art. The condition of the art reduces the value of the art, and that’s a serious problem,” she said.

Now that her time in the United States is almost done, Ueno is looking forward to taking what she has learned back with her to Japan. She is considering a career in fine art shipping or in collections management with a museum back home. She also intends to keep up with printmaking once she can put a studio together. No matter what she does, she feels that her time studying in the United States, along with her experience with the Museum, has been worthwhile.

“My life in the United States gave me confidence,” she said. “I found that I could jump into a different culture. All my friends had complaints about the cultural differences but I enjoyed them. I didn’t get fed up with eating mashed potatoes,” she said, laughing.

“Difference is natural. It’s important to enjoy it.”