Annie Kwok- B.A. Art History

Annie Kwok is a former HKSN co-president who pursued Art History major. She talks about what she has been doing after her graduation and highlights the importance of learning practical skills to successfully adapt in the professional world.

Tell us about what you studied at McGill.

I majored in Art History with a double minor in Marketing and Economics. I actually started out as an Economics major and did all the required courses for Econ in my first and second year. I’ve always had a passion for art so I took a few Art History classes and ended up loving the subject and realized that I could actually turn my passion and interest in art into a career after talking to my program advisors.

What have you been doing after your graduation.

After I graduated from McGill in December 2015,

I worked as a VIP Relations Assistant at Art Basel, an international art fair, in Hong Kong.

After working for the fair, I took some time off and traveled to various cities in North America and Asia.

I am currently pursuing my Master’s degree in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York,

where I am studying art law and finance, collections management, as well as art appraisal and curating. During my free time I am usually on Instagram, visiting galleries and museums, or catching up with sleep.

What are some pros and cons about your program? What advice would you give to younglings at McGill?

The Art History program at McGill is mostly theory-based which trains our critical thinking and visual communication skills but we didn’t get to learn practical knowledge such as understanding how the art world works or how objects circulate in the art market etc. My advice to students in the Faculty of Arts is to

look for more practical experiences outside of class

such as executive positions at student clubs, part time jobs, and summer internships to gain skills and to learn how to apply knowledge learned in classes to the real world.

I wanted to graduate earlier so I didn’t end up going on exchange, but

I did a summer semester in Florence (offered by the McGill Italian Studies Department).

I took an Intro to Italian course and received 6 credits in one month. It was one of my best experiences at McGill because I got to travel to different cities in Europe every weekend. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is interested in spending a summer semester in Europe!

What were some valuable involvements that taught you about yourself and oriented your goals?

Being in HKSN taught me how to manage my time properly, work with a team, plan events, and develop leadership skills that are were so useful when I was interning and working.

I joined HKSN as a First Year Representative, then I took on the role as VP External and then Co-President in my third year. As Co-president, I learned how to balance between leading a group and working together with my team, as well as how to prioritize and make effective use of my time at McGill.

Follow her adventures in the art world on Instagram! @anniewlkwok