Gabrielle Ly is an Art History major with a double minor in Classical Studies and Art Practice. "I found Saint Mary’s offered the best of all worlds," she says. "I was able to do everything I wanted to do." / Photo by Francis Tatem
In Their Own Words: Gabrielle Ly '24 Sees Art History in Her Future
A recent transfer to Saint Mary’s, Gabrielle Ly wrapped up a summer that included a competitive art conservation program at the Getty Villa in Los Angeles. She wouldn’t have applied at all without art professor Costanza Dopfel’s encouragement, she says.
In Their Own Words is a series in which we introduce you to the Gaels you need to meet—students, alums, faculty, and staff—and let them tell their stories, in their own words.
Meet Gabrielle Ly '24: a transfer and commuter student, Art History major, and Student Assistant at Saint Mary’s Museum of Art. This summer, Ly was selected to take part in the highly competitive Sponsored by the , the weeklong workshop offers college students from underrepresented backgrounds the chance to explore art conservation as a profession.
What drew her to art history
I don’t think I decided to study art history until my senior year of high school. The year before, I’d taken a community college course—Contemporary Art History—to fulfill some college credit because it worked with my schedule. But it really fascinated me. I’ve been in museum settings a lot, and I’ve always wanted to work in one. My mom homeschooled my sister and me all through school, which gave us the flexibility to travel. We’d take these fall trips and visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Smithsonian. Those experiences led me to realize, “Oh, this is what I want to do going forward.”
The road to Saint Mary’s
I chose Saint Mary's because I really love the Seminar Program. As I was taking community college classes and trying to decide where to transfer to, what drew me to Saint Mary’s was the discussion-based courses and the smaller class sizes. But there were other factors, too. I commute from Walnut Creek, so I needed it to be close to home. Plus, I was trying to find a school that had a good Classical Studies program in addition to Art History. I found Saint Mary’s offered the best of all worlds. I was able to do everything I wanted to do.
Conservation and inspiration
Because the Art History program is small, you get to know your peers and professors really well. When I met with Professor Costanza Dopfel for our first advising session last summer, we ended up having a two-and-a-half-hour conversation, which I didn’t expect. It was my first time meeting her, and she was already telling me about all these opportunities she’d helped other students have! Honestly, the willingness of Saint Mary’s professors to guide students on their path has been incredible.
By the end of the semester, Professor Dopfel and I were already talking about my future. What should I apply for in the spring? How can I be thinking ahead for my career? She told me, “You need to be a TA. Why don’t you TA for my upcoming Art Conservation class?” So I took her Conservation Jan Term course and then got to TA for the spring semester course. Through that, I was able to network with and learn from the experts she brought in. I also got to help shape a course that could inform the Art Conservation minor down the road. As someone who’s considering becoming an educator, too, the class was a momentous experience for me.
“Honestly, the willingness of Saint Mary’s professors to guide students on their path has been incredible.”
Getting hands-on at the Getty
Last fall, Professor Dopfel encouraged me to apply for this summer conservation program: the Andrew W. Mellon Opportunity for Diversity in Conservation. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I should or really wanted to. After a few months of TAing her class, though, I decided to do it. I was not expecting to get in at all, but I did. I was one of only 17 students in this year’s cohort.
The program took place from June 25 to July 1. My cohort met at the in Malibu, at their conservation labs for UCLA graduate students. They had a bunch of conservators with different specialties come in to talk about their own paths. We toured so many different museums: the Getty, of course, but also the and the .
The personal touch
We were supposed to bring a personal object with us to go through the conservation process with the different specialists. So I brought my baby blanket, which I've had forever. And I got to meet with a textile conservator and actually take a sample from my blanket. We looked at it under a really powerful polarized light microscope and determined what the material it is, because the label had washed out over the last 20 years.
Highlights and takeaways
At the Getty Center Museum, we toured their paper conservation labs, where I got to see sketches by Van Gogh and Michaelangelo that aren’t available to the public. No glass, just paper. We were probably a foot away—fangirling, obviously! It was one of the most amazing moments I’ve had as an art history student; I've studied these artists, but I had no concept whatsoever of their work as objects. It all connected, finally, in that moment.
We also got to see the Autry Museum’s collection of Native American artifacts. It was interesting to see how they’re navigating both caretaking objects and honoring tribes who want to care for their own heritage. . A big takeaway for me was that so much of conservation is about listening to other people’s experiences and grappling with the complicated history of taking artifacts from other cultures.
The road ahead
Right now, I know I’d really like to apply to graduate school for art conservation. I’m leaning toward textiles or even paper conservation as my specialty. The idea of working with my hands appeals to me.
In August, we traveled to the Philippines to visit family. As we were cleaning out my grandfather’s house, we found these two calligraphic scrolls that my great-grandfather had written when he emigrated from China to the Philippines. They're large, taller than me. I’d never seen them before; I barely knew anything about my great-grandfather. But I was able to write a condition report based on my training from the Getty program.
Seeing those, I thought, “This is exactly what I want to work on someday.” And to work on objects from my own ancestors? That would be super cool.
(This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.)
READ MORE about Costanza Dopfel and her NEH grant to develop an Art Conservation minor.
Fascinated by history, culture, and creation? LEARN MORE about the Art and Art History Department and CONSIDER APPLYING to Saint Mary’s.
Hayden Royster is Staff Writer at the Office of Marketing and Communications for Saint Mary's College. Write him.