INTERNSHIP STORIES

Curatorial Internship at a Non-profit Arts Organization I had originally first gotten into contact with AED last school year through the EDS program. Through that class, I was able to meet the director of operations at AED. After the class I reached out to who would be my supervisor to participate with more hands-on experience through this internship. Arts Every Day is a non profit organization dedicated to advancing equitable access to arts education in Baltimore City Public Schools. Some ways they achieve this is through art experience/materials funding, teacher professional development, and the 10x10 exhibition. This exhibition is the project I would be working on. This is an annual exhibition hosted by AED where Baltimore City students and teachers alike submit artwork to celebrate the creativity that is abundant within our community. This year's exhibition theme is “Culture: Symbols, Rituals and Heroes.” “Arts Every Day is proud to present its 9th Annual 10X10 Exhibit titled: ...

Animation Internship at a Studio I found out about this internship through my friend who started working there before me, and she had recommended this internship to me because we are both majoring in animation. I secured it by applying through their website, and I had a short interview with the head of the studio where we agreed I would start working this fall.  Animation Libation Studios is a small animation-focused studio that is currently working on producing a couple TV shows, and amongst each team there are character, background, and prop designers, animators, and story boarders. My direct supervisor was in charge of overseeing all of the productions on the show, and meets weekly with each team to check up and give feedback on our progress, as well as keep us up to speed on what we need to work on to meet our schedule deadlines. My responsibilities involved mostly background art, with some prop design. The TV show I am working on is called Champions of Eternity, which is an a...

Katie Pumphrey Studio Assistant Internship Katie Pumphrey is an American interdisciplinary artist and ultramarathon open water swimmer. Pulling from her experiences in the water, her paintings, sculptures, and installations use abstraction and imagery to investigate our anxieties, fears, and how our imagination plays tricks on us. Incorporating a bit of humor, Pumphrey explores these tensions and the connectedness between human instincts and play. She has a Bachelor of Fine Art in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art. I have known Katie since my sophomore year when my professor invited us to his studio for a studio visit; we ended up also visiting the neighboring studios, including Katie’s. We stayed in touch over the years until I was working as an intern at the creative alliance where she helps coordinate events. When I was looking to work a studio assistant role, I reached out to her wondering if she knew anyone interested, and there was, it was her! Katie was my dire...

Live Painting Internship with Anton Merbaum My previous roommate had always mentioned being neighbors with an artist upstairs. Throughout the spring semester we would run into each other and have quick conversations about being at mica, since he was also an alumni. Until this summer while moving out we happened to cross paths again this time offered an internship and interviewed the following month about the position. Anton Merbaum is a fine art artist, who specializes in live wedding painting, bridal portraiture, c ustom commissions, and murals. Anton Merbaum was also my direct supervisor, he was in charge of mentoring me about the fine art industry, especially live wedding painting as well as foundational works in creating a painting. I’m most proud of my ability to network as well as being able to work at a venue drawing eyes for people. This opportunity gave me a chance to see how it is working at a live event. Also learning fundamentals of starting a business and growing into the...

Corradetti Glassblowing Studio & Gallery I started working with glass in my senior year of high school, when art was becoming a serious environment for me. Coming to college, I was talking to the head of sculpture and he was able to get me in contact with the Corradetti’s. During the interview, I found out that the owner and my high school mentor went to college together, my mentor vouched for me to have a spot on the team and I was granted an assistant position at the studio. I have been working as a glassblowing assistant for Corradetti's since the fall of 2023. The studio is the most amazing place to work for and to work at. They make it easy for me to pursue my work in college, while also learning the art of glassblowing through them. The team consists of a constant group of four, the owner, his son, another assistant, and me. Together we worked on gallery pieces, commission pieces, and workshop pieces. My specific role in the studio is to assist with pieces, to be a second...

Summer Internship at the BMA The first time I heard about this position was through a MICA email announcing that BMA was open for Summer intern applications. I had been actively looking for internship opportunities and had a strong interest in the BMA, so I immediately decided to apply. I was responsible for drafting proposals for grants and sponsorship applications, communicating with colleagues in various departments, and gathering information to strengthen the proposals. One challenge I faced is how to effectively translate creative ideas from the programs I hear about into compelling proposals for potential funders and donors. I was also assigned the task of creating forms to track potential funders, which involved using specific software for data collection. Overall, the work is both challenging and rewarding, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity. So far, I am most proud of my growth in writing, research, and communication skills. I have become more confident in both re...

 Luxury Fashion Design and Production Intern My internship with Bibhu Mohapatra was a pivotal and eye-opening experience that marked the beginning of my journey in the fashion industry. I made it a daily habit to search "fashion design internship" on LinkedIn, and ensured my cover letter and resume were always ready to go. I sent out countless applications. Then, one day, I received an email from Bibhu Mohapatra. I traveled to NYC for the interview and it turned out to be an incredible experience, and I was thrilled to join his design team. Bibhu Mohapatra design focuses on upscale women's clothes, especially for Couture. They focus on weddings and various other designs in collaboration with the emerging designer. His works are praised for their sophisticated modern design, fine details, and fusion of traditional workmanship with modern aesthetics. I worked directly with the Production Manager and Creative Director, which provided me with an opportunity to collaborate clo...

Design Internship for a Magazine I found out about this internship opportunity on LinkedIn - the person hiring was a former alumni and adjunct professor who reposted the listing on my feed. I had applied at the beginning of the summer. I got an email back from their HR manager and set up a virtual interview where they gauged my personality and work ethic. I passed the first round and was given a second interview with the design team where I got to talk more about my design process and time management skills, which seemed to resonate with the team. I was given another a week later!  AARP is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those 50 years old and older. Their magazine has the most readers than any other publication in the country, with over 30 million readers as of 2023. Their magazine focuses on everything from lifestyle stories to health reads and political responses. My direct supervisor is the Associate Art Director at AARP who mainly focuses on...

Design and Marketing Internship for an Independent Bookstore Wonderland Books is an independent Bookstore and community space in Bethesda, Maryland which will be opening in early December. I had the opportunity to work together with the Wonderland Books team this semester to help them prepare for opening – learning about how an independent bookstore comes together and how to work to solidify and market a new brand in the process.  I discovered this opportunity through mutual contacts — one of the two  co-owners of Wonderland Books is a family friend who reached out looking for a bit of help with some of the design work over the summer, and from there I was able to start working with them and their brand designer, who had already created a strong brand identity for the bookstore. I was able to use those brand identity guidelines to help create a wide variety of both print and digital design material for use in-store and online. Throughout this internship, I was able to create a...

Design Internship at La Loupe Design I learned about this internship program from a friend's referral. While visiting several internship sites, I selected La Loupe Design as most appropriate for my academic endeavors and personal interests. I acquired the internship by emphasizing my professional skills and design capabilities throughout the application process, ultimately getting the opportunity to work with them.  La Loupe Design is a husband-and-wife studio based in Baltimore. They produce handmade home decor and interior lighting products combining artistic craftsmanship with useful design. They're offering for customers who want personal and thoughtful home decor.  During my internship, I was primarily assigned to design the studio's brand identity. This involved updating their website design, producing a catalog book, and producing product photography and videos. These projects aimed to elevate their visual communication and strengthen their market presence. And among...

My work is done in the studio with Fahimeh Vahdat, who  is an artist, activist, feminist, professor, and mother. For my internship I handled a plethora of different tasks. I worked with archival, managing, website redesigning, and editorial matters.   To stay on track, we use a task manager and Google Drive for smooth  collaboration.  One of our early projects involved creating a plan to reorganize her workspace,  allowing us to catalog her extensive art collection. Additionally, we worked on developing a  tailored internship program specifically for her studio that would also benefit me.  The internship covers everything needed to help the artist reestablish herself in the  industry. Together, we outlined her needs to identify areas for improvement and determine the  additional support required.  I cataloged artwork that had not been documented or photographed,  as well as new and incomplete pieces. I examined each piece individual...

I learned that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame offered internships through my previous internship at the Cleveland Metroparks. I was able to have an informational interview with the head of marketing, in which I gathered the timeline for my application about a year in advance. I prepared my application by further researching the organization and catering my design projects towards this internship. I selected classes that would be advantageous for curating my portfolio. I made sure to find a professor for my recommendation letter far in advance and prepared my other application materials. I was able to secure an interview and internship offer by the second week of April through this entire process. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a renowned, non-profit organization based in Cleveland, Ohio with the mission “to engage, teach, and inspire through the power of Rock & Roll.” The Rock Hall carries out this mission through their educational programs, library and archives, and through...

Over the past few months I was keeping a personal log of all the available internship and job opportunities within my area of interest. However, none of the internships I found caught my eye. I took inspiration from my friends who were applying for more extravagant internships to finally start applying to places. Through my search my love for printmaking had resurfaced and I stumbled upon Flatbed's internship. I applied through their website and had a brief interview with the head of lithography printing/education supervisor. Flatbed Press is a community and professional print shop with a gallery component. The press was started and is currently run by an intaglio printmaker. The owner and my supervisor work as the shop's professional collaborative printers working in monotype, relief, intaglio, and lithography. Flatbed also hosts regular workshops and classes taught by local printmakers and artists I reported to both the owner and my supervisor although I believe I was technic...

Last winter I exhibited Vestments of the Magus, a suit of steel armor I fabricated during my sophomore year. Nick Ireys attended the opening and was impressed with my piece. He was interested in meeting up to show me around his workshop, which I very happily agreed to! Through my time there we eventually got around to talking about summer plans and internships, at which time Nick offered me this opportunity to work as his summer intern! Nick Ireys is a blacksmith and metalworking artist that specializes in public art, restoration and fabricating high end architectural metalwork. His fine art work blends forged metal with blown glasswork, and primarily takes on a wide variety of metalworking projects through his personal studio label, NI Metal Design. He also started up his own blacksmithing school, Baltimore Hot Metal, where he teaches basic blacksmithing workshops in 3 hour long sessions.  I worked primarily as a workshop assistant for Nick, helping him with fabrication tasks that...