Lecturer, curator and writer Ayla Lepine is an expert in Victorian art and architecture. In this first in my series of interviews with emerging women in the arts, we chatted about the challenges of working in the competitive world of art history
How would you describe your work within the arts?
I arrived in the UK from Canada in 2003. I studied Theology at Oxford and then went on to research Victorian art and the Gothic Revival at the Courtauld Institute of Art. As an architectural historian I find that drawing buildings bolsters and diversifies my ability to write about them. I’m a Visiting Lecturer at the Courtauld, an adjunct lecturer for the V&A, a researcher for a London historic buildings architecture firm, and a freelance writer and speaker on all things artistic.
Your new Art & Architecture blog sounds interesting…
It will be called Watch This Space. There are plenty of architecture blogs, but this one looks at space and place in unusual ways. Some ideas include curatorial architecture, the treatment of space in paintings, and the relevance of spirituality in architectural practice. I’ll use the blog to launch an arts writing career parallel to my academic pursuits.
How important is being online?
Essential. Networking and displaying ideas online is invaluable for every academic and arts professional.
Working in academia, do you find that gender is still an issue in terms of career progression?
It’s always struck me as a concern in art history that the vast majority of undergraduates are women but the ratio of male to female academics is 50/50 at best. Being a successful arts professional requires enormous sacrifice and the courage to stand by your ideas. Sadly, men remain better placed than women in this regard due to cultural and economic circumstance. I resist this and promote a feminist approach to career achievement however I can.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an emerging arts professional? How did you respond to it or what did you learn from it?
The biggest challenge by far is summoning the strength to go on with minimal resources and limited support. I’ve learned to stay focused and look for connections that bring people together and create fresh arenas for intellectual exchange. Is that another way of saying “I make my own luck”? Probably.
What, if anything, do you do to relax?
I climb. Indoor climbing is a potent metaphor: just you and the wall.
What is the one thing you wish you’d known when setting out on this career path?
That patience is essential. You can’t change an institution, the field, or the world in 10 minutes. 20, maybe… See things through, even if it feels impossible.
How can we find out more about you and your work, or hire you?
I’m on the lookout for collaborative post-doctoral work that fuses arts research with curating and public engagement. In the meantime, I’m evolving ideas regarding architectural experience, embodiment and theological approaches to art history. You can find my work on Academia.edu or follow @heartchitecture on Twitter.
Becky Hunter is a freelance writer and artist who has just completed her AHRC funded Masters in History of Art at the University of York. She is currently planning her PhD proposal on the abstract painter Agnes Martin. http://beckyhunter.co.uk