INTERNSHIP STORIES

My name is Taylor Smith-Hams, and I’m a Sophomore Painting and Humanistic Studies major. Over the summer of 2013, I worked as a studio assistant for painter Paul Wackers. I contacted several artists in January and February of this year, people whose work I had both long admired and recently discovered. I sent out emails with my resume and cover letter, and Paul was the most interested of the artists I contacted. After several email exchanges and few phone interviews, Paul invited me to work for him in his Brooklyn studio from June through August. In the studio, I completed various daily tasks including washing brushes, preparing panels, assisting with painting, purchasing supplies, documenting work, and packing and shipping work. As the summer progressed, Paul increased my responsibilities, eventually giving me broader painting assignments with which I had more freedom. I am most proud of these small projects, as they demonstrate the trust and respect I developed with ...

My name is Sarah Jacoby and I am an Illustration and Printmaking major. Random House Children’s Books is the world’s largest English language children’s trade bookpublisher. Schwartz & Wade is a smaller children’s book imprint at Random House. I was not familiar with Schwartz & Wade until Rachael Cole, Art Director, came to speak to the Illustration Practice Program in the fall of 2012. As an illustrator who is interested in creating picture books, I was just becoming familiar with imprints that I respected at that time. Schwartz & Wade was very high on my list. I made an effort to introduce myself to Rachael the day she spoke at Mica and applied for an internship that winter. After an in person interview at their home office in New York, I was hired. During the summer I worked closely with Stephanie Pitts, the editorial assistant at Schwartz & Wade. My general duties were the following: • Read and report on submissions • Read unsolicited manuscripts • Scan and ...

My name is Robert Soto and I am an Illustration major. At the start of the spring semester of 2013 I was hunting for an internship with a scientific institution. I was determined to get experience working with scientists of any kind to produce illustrations that would tell me if I had what it takes to make Paleo reconstructions for a living. After a few weeks of emailing various parks and institutions with no luck I spoke to a professor of mine who had told us that he started out doing nature illustrations for a Marine research lab here in Maryland. I asked if could point me in the right direction for an internship or make an introduction and within a few days I had a meeting with Dr. Al Place atIMET and was given the opportunity to be the first scientific illustration intern they have had. I was hired before I even walked through the door, Al had a lot of respect for my professor work and knew the advantages to having a scientific illustrator on the team. The Institute of Marine an...

My name is Reese Siedlecki   and I am  Drawing major. Initially I approached one of my drawing teachers, Lauren Boilini, about possibly being a studio assistant for her this summer. She was unsure at the time if she was going to be going abroad or not this summer for a residency in Europe, and when it was confirmed that she was accepted to the residency she told me about one of her studio mates at School 33 Art Center in Federal Hill, Chad Tyler. Lauren gave me his contact information and told me he would possibly need an assistant this summer for some of his projects. I sent him an e-mail inquiring if he did need one, and then sent him my resume and a portfolio highlighting sculptural work I’ve done since that was the nature of the art I would be helping him with. He promptly replied and accepted me as his intern, I met with him during spring semester to see his studio space, meet him in person, and to figure out a basic outline of when I would be ...

My name is Amanda Almarshoud and I’m a Sophomore General Fine Arts Major with a prospective Minor in Art History and a Concentration in Sustainability and Social Practice. My 2013 summer internship was unexpectedly spent at the Anthony’s Park Mobile Arts and Recycle Center. While staying in Baltimore for a majority of the summer, I naturally took my extra time in the city to explore interesting areas. I stumbled upon Anthony’s Park Mobile Arts and Recycle Center in Highlandtown, right next to one of my favorite Indian/ Nepalese grocery stores. I walked into the center, talked to two women chatting about the neighborhood over drinks, and ended up spending the next half hour sitting and talking with them. One of the women, Nancy, was the owner of the center and said she was going to be selling merchandise ad running a workshop at a huge block sale called Blockenstein the next morning. I asked if she needed help selling items and whatnot, and she was delighted to have me help h...

My name is Tess Wypkema and I am a sophomore Sculpture major. A year ago I established contact on Facebook with Yiull Damaso after hearing about him from a friend. I asked him to look at my work and he responded and gave me a positive review. I decided that since I was going back to South Africa for Summer 2013, that I would send him a message and ask if he would let me intern for him and he thought that it would be a fantastic idea. Yiull Damaso is an independent artist in South Africa. He primarily paints in oil and mixed rust medium. He owns a gallery space which also functions as his studio. His work is often political and he is well known in South Africa for painting portraits of Nelson Mandela. His controversial painting the “Night Watch” made headlines worldwide.   He has recently started curating and hosting shows for up and coming artists at his Gallery. Since Yiull runs his gallery single handedly, he was my direct supervisor and I spent most of my time wit...

   My name is Connie Chong and I am an Interdisciplinary Sculpture major.   I had a wonderful experience during my internship with a small properties company (prop shop) in Hollywood. I learned a great many things, one of the most important was to remember that there is a hierarchy, the bigger lesson was that when there are several managers and or bosses the hierarchy is often complicated, but no matter how complicated it is up to you the employee to get it straight. There is also a lesson of trust, not only in others which is what I had learned in my previous experience at the Lyric Opera House, but in you. You have to push, and trust yourself that you can get the job done.               Here is why: If you don’t get the job done: -          Bosses will obviously be extremely unsatisfied -          The client of the job in w...

My name is Lydia Bickal and I am a Junior graphic design major at MICA. This summer I interned at Illume Candles in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I found out about this opportunity through a friend of the family that happens to be the president of Illume. She gave my name to the creative manager, April Mueller and after speaking with her and showing her a sampling of my work, I was hired as a paid intern for the summer. I was the first intern they’ve ever had, but after me they plan to have many more. Illume Candles creates fragranced candles and beauty products for their own brand as well as many outside clients. They create packaging for companies like Target, Anthropologie, Kohl’s, Sephora, Bed Bath & Beyond and many more. Not only does Illume create the beautiful outside of the candle, but they fill and fragrance the candles in-house as well. You can follow the product from ideation to execution all at Illume’s headquarters. My supervisor, April Mueller, was the creative manage...

My name is Christina Kwiek and I am a Junior Graphic Design major with a focus in fiber and textiles. Throughout the duration of the summer of 2013, I was the graphic design intern for a vintage clothing and jewelry boutique in Syracuse, NY, called Cometti Collections. Originally based in Florida, the owners of the boutique relocated to Upstate New York to open a new location in the heart of downtown Syracuse. In general I found the internship search for places near the Syracuse area to be somewhat challenging on larger platforms, and I actually was able to get in contact with the owners of the business through Craigslist. I responded to the ad for a fashion–savvy graphic design intern with my resume and a link to my portfolio site, and was hired for the position after a Skype and phone interview with one of the owners, Clare Cometti. Cometti Collections is co-owned and operated by sisters Clare and Maria Cometti, who strive to create a boutique that brings young women a sense o...