About Me
Hello all, my name is Toby Britton. I am almost 20 years old and I am currently pursuing my bachelors degree in Art at UCLA. Interning at NUMU this summer has served as a very informative introduction into the behind-the-scenes operations of a museum and an even greater step towards my aspirations of being a full-time artist. I am very grateful for this opportunity to become more involved with the museum that, through my past participation as an exhibiting artist, pushed me to pursue art more professionally.
My Art Practice
oil on canvas, 5 feet x 6 feet, 2022
Within my first year living and attending school full time in Los Angeles, my artistic output has become increasingly biographical. I attempt to depict the changes, moments, and feelings that stick out and linger as I navigate each day through introspection and by focussing inwards. I want to thoughtfully and honestly present my experience through artistic expression. For example, one of my recent oil paintings collages and commemorates my home and its people, representing relationships both old and new. I show myself reuniting with family after living in LA for several months and how I’ve changed and grown. Another piece I’ve created is a self-portrait made from high fire ceramic. Upon reflecting, I think this piece was a way of me claiming my image and reassuring how I present myself to others. With my work, I am questioning and reworking my mind’s ideals relating to home, family, and self-image. At this point in my career, my art feels as if it’s an extension of my self.
oil on canvas, 5 feet x 6 feet, 2022
My favorite mediums I have worked in are charcoal, chalk and oil pastels, oil paint, and ceramic, but, as I take more classes, I am very open and eager to try new materials, methods, and creative processes to see how my art can progress. Looking forward, as I am about to start another academic year and jump head-on into my art practice again, I hope to create art with more diverse and complex themes and focus on advancing my visual language beyond pure representational images and focus more on the materiality of mediums and how to use them to further my arts’ implications.
My Time at NUMU
Upon starting my internship, our first goal was to expand and further the reach of ArtNow and to make it more accessible to schools across Santa Clara County. One way I worked on this was through data entry finding and cataloging various contact points for nearly every high school within the County to help spread the work about the opportunity being presented with this competition. I know from my experience winning both 1st place in Painting and Best in Show a year later in the impact this competition can have. It helped prove that my true passion lies in the arts, gave me the confidence to continue creating, and helped me stand out when applying to universities to continue my journey as a rising artist. Next, we started the ArtNow Teen Council, a paid internship opportunity for high school students to help involve them more in the process of ArtNow and expand upon the original goals of wider outreach in Santa Clara County. With the help and guidance of Michèle Jubilee, we wrote out a call for applicants, sifted through 33 applications and narrowed our choices down to 6 thoughtful teens who would make up the council and ultimately help decide upon the theme of Unarmed Truth for next year's exhibition. Within this process, I acted as liaison between the NUMU staff and the teens by gathering resources to help inspire discussions and bring a broader art historical perspective. Working with the council has been a meaningful step towards making ArtNow the best and most relevant it can be. My hope for the theme Unarmed Truth is that it gives enough room for artistic freedom while also encouraging critical thoughts and discussions about our relationship to truth.
Working at NUMU, I was also able to gain much more insight into a professional environment centered around the arts and meet many people with different roles within the various museum operations taking place. In a collaboration with the Los Gatos Library, I interacted with child artists as well as business contemporaries while facilitating a children's collage class. I also helped exhibiting artists capture and record their discussions as they gave walkthroughs of their gallery spaces, and I helped set up and document one of the largest events held at the museum, Content Magazine’s Pick-up Party on September 1st.
All of these experiences have opened my eyes to all the work that goes into running a museum and what a positive work environment should look like. My time at NUMU has flown by and working with such a great group of people has been incredibly valuable and transformative. I will be forever grateful for the impact this experience will have on my artistic career and look forward to continuing my passion as an artist
If you would like to get in touch with me or keep up with me and my art, you can email me at tobybritton@ucla.edu or follow me on Instagram @tobythetoasters.
-Posted by Toby Britton
