Mirabelle Field

"I was drawn to the University of Auckland due to its international prestige and the dynamism of the Faculty of Arts. The faculty is a community. It is a place where everyone shares a passion for study and knowledge.

"From the very beginning of my time at university I always knew that I would love to continue on in an academic field as I truly enjoyed the Arts degree process and developed a strong passion for Art History.

"I was awarded a Summer Research Scholarship at the end of 2018 and this experience was invaluable to help me prepare for the realities of postgraduate study.

"Postgraduate study offers a whole new set of challenges. It is much more independently run ensuring that time management and self-discipline are essential. However, it also allows you to develop your own interests and to always work on what you are most drawn to.

"It offers the perfect opportunity to grow and develop a distinctly personal writing style and work on topics that you consistently enjoy. I am particularly interested in the issues of gender and feminist theory in Art History and my dissertation focused on the 'Guerrilla Girls', a radical feminist art collective based in America.

"I have found the lecturers to be extremely helpful so always email them if you have a question, they don't mind answering anything you can think of! Also, make sure to start researching your assignments as soon as possible, it’s amazing how long that process can take.

"After my MA, I would love to enter into curatorial work at an Art Gallery, or potentially continue on to further study and an academic career.

"An Arts degree is truly a labour of love, and many people do not understand the importance of the arts to those who study and work within them. I find the Faculty of Arts to be a very welcoming place which has helped me to grow as a person and as an academic."

Mirabelle is a recipient of a Summer Research Scholarship, the Louise Perkins Prize in Art History, a Senior Scholar Award and a Faculty of Arts Masters Scholarship.