Presenter: Hello and welcome! This is The World of Art. In our studio today is Daniela Netting, a Ph.D. Art student from Brown University. Good morning, Daniela!

Daniela: Good morning!

Presenter: Daniela, an exhibition of paintings of a 17^th century Flemish painter Michaelina Wautier has just opened at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. You played an important role in the opening of this exhibition, didn't you?

Daniela: I did, but I wasn't alone. There were five other Ph.D. students from my university who did, it was teamwork.

Presenter: What exactly did you do?

Daniela: This was part of the course on History of Art. First, each student did an individual research project on this painter's drawing techniques, artistic influences and how 17^th century Flemish culture and customs shaped her career. The results of our projects were used for the exhibition's catalog and wall texts, but not only that. From the beginning, we were the curators of the show. We spent time asking, "What is the message we want to send? What is the story we want to tell? What is special about this artist and her work?" To be given so much control over the message of the show was fantastic, unique and rare.

Presenter: Do you mean that Art students don't often curate exhibitions in major museums?

Daniela: I mean - it's virtually unheard of for students to have a hand in curating any public exhibition, let alone an exhibition at one of the country's largest and most respected museums. I had worked at three museums before this, but Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, gave us an opportunity to learn about how centuries-⁠old art is repaired, how they use infrared technology to look beneath the painted surfaces, how curators research the cultural context of artworks, and how museum employees work together to create educational and original exhibitions. I don't know any other Ph.D. students who have had an opportunity like this.

Presenter: You said, one of the questions you asked yourself was 'What is special about this particular artist and her work?' Did you manage to answer it?

Daniela: Absolutely! Michaelina Wautier lived and painted in Brussels in the mid1600s. But despite her exceptional talent, she was forgotten for centuries, overshadowed by male contemporaries such as Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck. Art historians have only recently discovered her and drawn attention to her significance in their scholarly writing, leading to high prices on her work at auctions and increased interest from museum curators across the globe. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is the first museum in North America to dedicate a gallery to her work.

Presenter: Could you tell us about some of her paintings that are included in the exhibition?

Daniela: Personally, I love her series called 'The Five Senses'. It's a series of 5 paintings that depict everyday Flemish life with humour. Each of the paintings shows a young boy demonstrating one of the five senses: one boy plays a recorder, for example, and another grimaces as he smells a rotten egg. I also like her selfportrait, painted sometime in the 1640s.

Presenter: What was your main goal in this exhibition?

Daniela: We wanted to give Michaelina Wautier the spotlight she deserves, which was taken away from her for so long. It was exciting to tell a story about women and their value in art - not just as muses or models, but as leading creators themselves.

Presenter: How long will the exhibition be on?

Daniela: Till the end of summer.

Presenter: Daniela, thank you so much for being with us today!

Daniela: My pleasure! Thank you!