The Bermuda National Gallery's curator, Sophie Cressall, recently spent two weeks on an intense work experience with the Metropolitan Museum Of Art Curatorial Internship, in New York City.

This opportunity was arranged through Bermudian contacts with The Met and the trustees of the BNG.

Cressall says: "It was the experience of a lifetime."

The job of being a curator has, over time, evolved considerably. Initially, the curator was the custodian of a collection, be it art, historical objects, or a natural history collection.

Today's curator continues to oversee the management and care of a collection, but in addition, the contemporary curator is also involved with the creation of exhibitions, the writing of catalogues, the keeping of accurate records and much more.

In a small institution such as the Bermuda National Gallery (BNG), its sole curator undertakes responsibilities that would be delegated to a substantial number of individuals in larger, more affluent organisations.

As the BNG is a small institution, the curator is in fact involved with all facets of a working museum, including building and maintaining the collection, development outreach, and educational programmes. On a different scale, the Met is one of the great art museums of the world.

The museum, itself, is divided up into at least 19 departments, each with a team of curators and other support staff, including collections managers, conservators, registrars, research assistants, librarians, technicians, exhibition designers etc.

Ms Cressall said: "The Met is a world within a world. Just about everything an employee would need is there within the walls of the museum, including a special staff dining room that is open 24 hours a day. Then there is bookbinding, workshops, conservation laboratories, research facilities and shipping departments.

"The Met is never completely shut down, people are working there around the clock, day in and day out. It is a city of art in the heart of Manhattan, with over 2,000 employees focused intently on art."

While reflecting upon her recent Met experience, and comparing the BNG to the wider museum world, Ms Cressall says that the BNG is doing incredibly well on an international scale: sound policies are in place; exhibition foundations are firm; and the curatorial practices are in a good position for continued future progress.

Now that Ms Cressall is back at her BNG desk, and had time to begin processing her MET experience, she believes that she has returned more knowledgeable, inspired, and with a clearer understanding of how to develop an even stronger BNG Curatorial Department.

She suggests that the relationships she developed there, will ultimately prove beneficial to the BNG mission of bringing the world of art to Bermuda and Bermuda's art to the world.

This will continue to enhance the Bermuda National Gallery's cultural value and educational importance.