This week, gallery intern Sarah Willoughby ’25 had the opportunity to interview Davidson College alum Daphne Butler Birdsey ’06.
Daphne received a B.A. in political science at Davidson College in 2006. After college, Daphne pursued a career in fundraising, including over 13 years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, during which she received an M.A. in Visual Art Administration from New York University. She eventually assumed the role of Deputy Chief Development Officer for the Director’s Office. Most recently, she has moved to Williamstown, MA to work as Chief Advancement Officer at the Clark Art Institute. In this interview, Daphne discusses everything from her experience at Davidson College, to her career path, to advice for current students. Here are a few highlights.
Learn a little bit more about Daphne’s background, her start in political science at Davidson, and her career after graduation:
Sarah Willoughby: “Did your idea or plan of what your future might be like or your future career change as you were at Davidson, or as you met different professors, took classes, or, as you mentioned, studied abroad?”
Daphne: “I loved so many of the professors. Dr. Wertheimer (History Department), Dr. Roberts (Political Science), and they all taught me how to think critically and the importance of doing extensive research, and all of that was wonderful personal development. When I studied abroad in Geneva, and we met with some of these foreign service officers, I realized that it was a pretty long and lonely career to where I wanted to end up. I mean, I thought it would be fun to be an ambassador to France, and it is a long and complicated career, and for many of those years you are kind of isolated and sent to a city you have no control over. So, I did sort of start to think that this might not be the long-term path for me.
And, I guess it was my junior year, that spring, I finally took an art history class. I grew up in New York City going to museums, I love the arts, but I hadn’t pursued art history at Davidson because I felt like that could lead only to a career in academia, you would have to get your PhD. My good friends who majored in art history were wonderful scholars, but I knew that is not the route I wanted to go, so I didn’t pursue any art history classes except just for fun. I took one with Dr. Ligo in Contemporary Art that I found fascinating.
The summer before my senior year at Davidson, I applied for an internship at the Council of Foreign Relations, which is a think tank, but I did not get it, which was a blessing in disguise. And I ended up applying to some other internships in the New York area, including one at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it happened to be in the development office, not something that I had ever expected going into, although I was an annual fund caller at Davidson and I did really enjoy doing that. A friend and I did it, and I loved calling alumni and talking about the school, and asking them to support it. So there was certainly a little inkling that might be something I might enjoy doing, but I didn’t think that was a career. So anyway, that summer before my senior year at Davidson, at the Met, I fell in love with working in development in museums and feeling like this is a way I could be helpful and found it very fulfilling.”
Learn more about Birdsey’s take on the connection between political science and the arts:
Sarah: “Do you have any advice for current Davidson College students who are interested in similar careers or in general?”
Daphne: “Of course. I think my advice is to use the Davidson network (which I think people are very good at doing) and ask a lot of questions. Interview people in different roles in the arts because there is a broader range that suits different skill sets. Its not just becoming a curator of one specific area or a conservator, but in museums you have legal departments, communications teams, and obviously fundraising. These are skill sets that are transferable, which is a good thing. And that is on the non-profit side. On the for-profit side, working at a gallery or an auction house, there are many types of roles you can be engaging in. So I think just meeting with different kinds of people and trying out different internships, not just in a gallery but a non-profit experience as well, is beneficial.
Another thing I will add is that I pursued my masters in visual arts administration at NYU. I think there is a similar program at Columbia and some other schools as well, but that was a great two-year program that exposed me to museum education, and registrar/collections management, and more. So there are a lot of ways to be involved in the arts for those who are excited about and inspired by being around the arts. Ask questions and explore all avenues before you lead into one thing.”
Special thanks to Daphne Butler Birdsey for taking the time to speak to the Davidson College Van/Every Smith Galleries. To those interested, you can reach out to Daphne through Davidson Connect.