Alumni Profiles: Tom Cornelius

What made you decide to do a degree in American Studies?

The appeal of the American Studies degree was in the modern scope of the degree. The United States of America has been a country under that name for only 250 years or so, so I was very much attracted to the idea of studying modern history and modern literature. And to the idea of studying abroad, which on all of the open days I attended had really been sold as this amazing opportunity. I’ve been weaned on this diet of American film and television from a very young age and always felt drawn to the place. I’d been there a couple of times on holiday and wanted to figure out for myself why I was attracted to that place.

What did you study prior to your degree?

At A Level I did Fine Art, English Literature and Geography. I did History at AS but I dropped that subject. American Studies appealed to me because it combined history and literature in a way that for me really worked, because it was focusing on the modern period mostly. To my mind, the US had the best writers, and produced the best films, the best television and the best music. So this is what I was thinking when I was 16 and 17. I think that my A Levels gave me a relatively good grounding for going on and doing American Studies, which is really quite an interdisciplinary degree.

How did American Studies equip you for your future career?

After doing the undergraduate degree in American Studies, I did a Masters in American Literature. I think during that process I realised that I wanted to work in art and looking at visual art in particular. And so I decided then to approach museums and galleries and started to think more about the history of art. I think what was great about American Studies was because of its interdisciplinary structure I was able to study History of Art modules and think too about visual culture even in those modules which were about literature or about history. I developed an understanding of that type of work and I was encouraged to visit museums and galleries as part of the degree. So I think the degree really prepared me to do whatever I wanted: it was at once scary and at once liberating. I chose to look at museums as a career path and American Studies was great for that.

So what has been your career trajectory so far?

After doing the BA I did an MPhil at the University of Cambridge in American Literature because that was the strain of the degree that I’d enjoyed the most. I realised I was drawn to those modules and those essay topics which are about visual culture. Afterwards I ended up volunteering at a small Victorian art gallery near where I grew up in Surrey. And volunteering, if you can do it, is an excellent way to get a foot in the door at a museum or gallery. People start recognising your face and then you might hear about vacancies as they come up. So I ended up working at that gallery in the marketing team, which seemed to be a role that fit my interests and skills in writing and communication. I was there for a couple of years and then I moved to Tate Publishing, into a marketing publicity role. So I deal with the press. My role is really to try and increase the sales of Tate’s books, which our team usually publishes to coincide with an exhibition. But actually I’m leaving Tate in September to go back to university for a PhD in History of Art at UCL.

And what has been your proudest career moment to date?

At Tate we get to work with wonderful authors and illustrators. Not many people know that Tate publishes children’s picture books as well as exhibition books and books on Art History. One of the authors and illustrators we work with is Quentin Blake and we published a new book by him in 2020. Part of my role was to reach out to the press, and to write press releases. In this instance I organised an interview with Quentin Blake which then appeared on the front cover of the review section in the Guardian. I was really thrilled and Quentin did an illustration especially for the cover. I was really pleased to see that and I’ve still got a copy.

What was your study abroad like?

I had half a year at UNC Chapel Hill. It was wonderful. Everyone should have the opportunity to study abroad. As daunting as it might feel at the outset, by the end you come away feeling like you’ve had an insight into how someone else is being educated in a different country. And I love opportunities to travel and to take in a new culture. I was in the South and I hadn’t been there before. It’s really different from where I grew up. I was able to take much more varied subjects and modules than in the UK, because the degrees are set up differently so that there’s more choice. I took lots of excellent modules. I went to lots of excellent museums and galleries, I saw lots of the country, and had a really excellent time.

What did you enjoy the most about your degree studies?

What American Studies allowed me to do was study lots of different subjects under one heading, with a common focus on America. I was just able to cover much more ground than some other courses allow. And also it’s very contemporary which I enjoyed. The modules that I could choose from at the University of Manchester, which is where I did my undergraduate degree, were excellent and felt really of the moment. And we had great discussions about contemporary politics and culture. I remember thinking that I was really lucky to be able to have these discussions.

Are there any books, records, films or TV shows that you would recommend to prospective American Studies students?

Yes – a book called Americana by Don DeLillo, which I’m only just reading now. I wish I had read it as a prospective American Studies student because it’s fantastic. I love Don DeLillo. He’s easy to read. It’s very funny. And this book is about a road trip. It’s written in 1971. And the main character is a photographer, he talks a lot about the American landscape. I think that’s brilliant. For TV, you can’t get better than The West Wing for a view on American politics, the American political system. For film, I’d say, Moonlight – the 2016 Barry Jenkins film. Which broke lots of records, won lots of awards, and it’s just marvellous.