The high school and college internship opportunities at Studio Channel Islands provide lots of unique challenges and experiences on a day to day basis. We communicate with many different artists who work with many different mediums and aside from just the artists, we learn to interact with visitors, business owners, and potential AIR’s as well. We learn about and participate in all the work that is behind setting up an art exhibition. We learn how to keep track of inventory, how to plan and advertise events, and how to get our name out there to the public through social media and other marketing strategies. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but where else can you learn this much and still have fun?
Perhaps the most rewarding part of interning here at SCI is meeting and interacting with all the different people. It seems like everyday I come in, I meet someone new. Whether it be an artist, a new intern, a visitor to the gallery, or even just taking a message on the phone, I’ve learned how to talk to people and deal with them in a professional setting. You really get to know a lot about the artists too: why they do what they do, where they get their inspiration from, and what their process is for creating their art. I got the chance to work with Makayla Diaz and Alyssa Madsen, two high schoolers who interned here in the previous year. Makayla said, “My favorite parts about interning at SCI were being able to connect with the artists and seeing them in their work environment because I’ve always loved everything about art so it was eye opening to see behind what goes into their pieces.” Another part I enjoy about working with the artists is seeing how passionate they are about their pieces when they bring them in to be sold in the gift store of to part of an upcoming exhibition in the gallery.
Another aspect of interning here is working with children. Over the summer I was able to help with the art camp for kids, which is a whole different experience. SCI also offers after-school art classes for kids during the duration of the year as well. Working in education here at SCI is especially beneficial if you have an interest in becoming a teacher or educator and if you enjoy interacting with children. You get to help the teacher set up for the class and clean up afterwards, as well as help the kids with their art projects. This part of the internship at SCI is rewarding mainly because you get to inspire perhaps the next generation of artists and sometimes you gain inspiration from the kids as well.
Preparation and hanging in the gallery for an upcoming exhibit is also something you get as part of the internship experience. This, to me, is the best part of working at SCI. Installation week is exactly what it sounds like: taking down the old exhibition, prepping the gallery for the new one, and hanging the new one. It’s a long process and we face lots of challenges throughout the course of it (broken artworks, missing or late arrivals of artwork), but part of the experience at SCI is learning how to deal with such problems. For adolescents much like myself, problem solving skills are perhaps the best thing you can learn for going out into the world and getting a job. In fact, so many of the things I have learned here at Studio Channel Islands are valuable lessons that I can take with me long after my internship is over.
As for now, my time here at Studio Channel Islands is just beginning and I have so much more to learn. The thing is, no matter how daunting some of the tasks are that I receive here, I never work alone. SCI is an organization that was built from the ground up by people who worked together, hand in hand, and continue to do so to this day. If you are looking for an internship opportunity that will help you develop a wide variety of life skills, I strongly encourage you pay us a visit here at Studio Channel Islands and join our impactful art community.
Studio Channel Islands’ Internship Program is Sponsored by:
TOLD Corporation
California Arts Council
Interested in an Internship with us? Email your cover letter and resume to info@studiochannelislands.org