Rachel Garbade ’15
Company / School: Museum of Modern Art
Position / Degree: Assistant Archivist, Processing
Overview
- BA, Art History and French & Francophone Studies, Vassar College
- MA, Art History, New York University
- MLIS, Long Island University
Rachel Garbade (she/her) began her career in the art world at Garth Greenan Gallery, where she advanced from Gallery Assistant to Assistant Director/Archivist from 2015 to 2022. She completed the NYU/LIU Dual Degree Program in 2022, with an MA in art history from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts, as well as an MS in library and information science and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Archives and Records Management from Long Island University. While she was a graduate student, Rachel held a number of internships, part time jobs, and a fellowship at the following institutions: Whitney Museum of American Art, Lesbian Herstory Archives, Institute of Fine Arts Library, and Long Island University. In October 2022, she began her current position at the Museum of Modern Art as Assistant Archivist, Processing. In this position, she focuses on processing the MoMA Archives’ backlog, a varied body of materials including both museum records and external donations. In January 2023, she also began serving as News Editor of the Art Libraries Society of North America’s New York Chapter. She is currently based in Brooklyn.
Advice to Students:
Never underestimate the power of your Vassar network, whether that be your friends, classmates, or alums you don’t yet know. In the early days of my career, I scheduled many informational interviews with Vassar alums, all of whom were eager to share their stories and give me advice. At my first job, I was ultimately hired by a Vassar alum and, over the years, I hired three other Vassar alums. I also highly recommend getting a few years of work experience in after college before heading to graduate school; if you go to graduate school with a distinct purpose or goal, you will get more out of the experience. Lastly, don’t be afraid to set boundaries with employers early, especially when it comes to working outside of office hours and taking time off.
