Baltimore Tree Trust Internship

This semester, I got to work with Baltimore Tree Trust as their communication design intern. I was lucky enough to meet my supervisor, the senior communications director at Baltimore Tree Trust, at the fall semester Practice and Pie event hosted by Career Development. Immediately, I became obsessed with Baltimore Tree Trust and the work they do for the Baltimore community. Baltimore Tree Trust is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that is focused on providing trees, environmental education, and career pathways in forestry to the Baltimore community. The bulk of what they do revolves around their team of Neighborhood Forestry Technicians – an awesome team of people born and raised in Baltimore who go out into the community and plant trees in neighborhoods that need it most.

Beyond just planting trees, Baltimore Tree Trust also provides educational resources on the importance of green spaces in urban environments and seeks to unite different Baltimore communities through city greening. This sort of work was super inspiring to me, so I reached out to my supervisor not long after the event, and somehow managed to impress the BTT team enough that they took me on. The bulk of my work at BTT was centered around helping the current communications team – which consisted of my supervisor and two other wonderful people – by creating email and social media graphics, print material, and fun graphics for fundraisers and events. Other than my supervisor, most of the team didn’t have a lot of graphic design education, so I was there to help create visuals for some of their messaging. Most of their communications revolved around environmental education and fundraising, and I was able to learn a lot about Baltimore’s native ecosystems through my research for the different campaigns and events they were involved in. I was able to create a lot of really great work that I’m super proud of (and which will definitely go into my portfolio), learn a lot about Baltimore’s environment and the importance of green spaces in cities, and create connections with great people doing important work.

This experience has definitely helped me realize that I want to continue doing work in the realms of activism and education, and showed me what my strengths are as a designer as well as gave me the opportunity to work on my weaknesses. I’m super thankful for the team at Baltimore Tree Trust for giving me the opportunity to work with them this semester, and for Career Development for not only having this for-credit internship program, but also for hosting Practice & Pie! If not for that event, it would have been a lot more difficult for me to secure this internship.

Lucky Jefferson Intern

I found this internship from a Google search. I just uploaded my resume and my personal website. I don’t really remember how much time passed, and then I got an email that said they were interested in working with me. For the process, they sent me something that acted as a test that required me to finish a piece of work, almost like an audition. Then, after my work was reviewed, they would send an email back to tell me if they wanted to hire me. After that, they sent me the offer. 

They are a non-profit publisher organization. They don’t really have a lot of people, the only two people I knew were our direct supervisor, and another one being the Editor-in-Chief. My direct supervisor would give us work that we needed to complete in time before the deadline. She would also give you help if you were to have any problems as well as suggestions sometimes. 

My position was as an illustrator intern. I needed to finish the illustration for their specific work. The work would be an illustration of a poem. These illustrations would be for words or designs for tote bags. I think the biggest takeaway from this experience was working with other students. I needed to communicate with other people and give some suggestions. The thing that I am the most proud of is that my tote bag design was chosen by the clients for a festival. I also got the experience of how publishers work. All of this was very important and helpful in helping me figure out my next step. 

I'm Fine Internship

I found the internship through my supervisor, someone who I have been involved with since I was in the sixth grade, and she has been helping me find new opportunities in the local art scene. I’m fine. is a non-profit art community that organizes workshops where people are invited to create clay masks, while also promoting the discussion of mental health. 

I did a little bit of anything that was needed, from creating masks, helping with demos, helping set up the gallery... etc. I am most proud of getting to connect with a handful of people and getting to hear their stories about why they are creating their masks. I got a taste of what it is like to work/run a nonprofit, community art group, which was very important to me. I learned to help a person with little to no art experience channel their thoughts and ideas into the thing that they were
creating. 

The main thing that I’ve gained from this internship was the various methods of how I could create a space that both invites people to talk about difficult subjects and use that to create something/interact with my own work. And I’ll be taking all of this and putting it towards my thesis (To Die In The Woods).

Women and their Work

Women and Their Work is a nonprofit organization and arts space in Austin, TX. The space was founded in 1978 with the purpose of uplifting and supporting female artists in Texas. Women and Their Work provides education programming, has events, and helps women artists have solo shows. I was interested in Women and Their Work because it feels like such a unique gallery space and has a great legacy in Austin. 

Women and Their Work had a summer internship program listed that seemed really interesting to me and I thought it would teach me skills I wanted to learn, such as gallery installation, day-to-day, and what it’s like to run a nonprofit. I applied, was interviewed and then accepted for the Gallery Assistant intern position.

My consistent responsibility was being the first point of contact for people visiting the gallery. I would answer any questions about the gallery, talk to guests, and survey the demographics of visitors of the gallery. My other responsibilities would vary. I assisted with creating gallery guides, promotional material, gallery install and uninstall, research, spreadsheets, creating contact sheets, formatting documents and submissions, editing artists’ CVs, and creating transcripts to go along with the audio to provide more ways of access. I also worked on events such as gallery openings, and local arts events in Austin. 

I learned a lot during my summer at Women and Their Work. Prior to this experience, I didn’t know what the day-to-day of a nonprofit organization looked like. I was able to work on so many different projects and try on different hats because the environment was very collaborative and inviting.

My favorite experience I had was installing a solo show. It was really incredible getting to spend time with the artist and assist with bringing her vision for the space to life. I was able to assist with a mural she did on the walls of the gallery and it felt really special to be a part of the exhibit in that way. Speaking with her and other artists was really inspiring to me, as a painter who wants to be a working, exhibiting artist. This internship helped me see different paths in the arts I didn’t know were available to me and made me realize how much I value an arts community, especially the community I found at Women and Their Work.

Hamiltonian Artists

Hamiltonian Artists' mission is to build a dynamic community of innovative artists and effective visual art leaders by providing professional development opportunities and advancing their entrepreneurial success. Through a two-year fellowship program they produce group shows and solo shows to help build a solid foundation for emerging artists. A professor from one of my courses works at Hamiltonian Artists and reached out to me at the end of the course if I would be interested in an internship.

During my internship I would report back to my supervisor with tasks I was assigned to and we would discuss program planning for the future. I was involved in a variety of projects like managing donor and board member Thank You letters and learning about the Bloomerang database. I also helped plan programs for kinetic members which is a sales and lending program on cultivating the next generation collectors. The mission of the program is to connect artists and collectors in such ways as conducting studio, managing collections, and creating a more approachable art collection environment. Finally, a big part of my jobs was installation and openings of exhibitions and the day-to-day gallery management.

My biggest takeaway from this experience is understanding how to present myself as an artist and how to represent the organization in the broader art world. I got to be in touch with a board of members, gallerists, artists, and people who are passionate about art in general! I overall understand better how the fine art industry runs and how to make art more accessible from a curatorial perspective. I now understand how non-profit galleries run and I am proud to have been involved in the DC art scene.

This internship experience has helped me to deepen my understanding in ways of supporting artists, especially emerging artists and made me more certain that the care for artists is what I want to carry on in my curatorial practice.

Creative Alliance

Creative Alliance is a non-profit arts organization with a location in Baltimore, Maryland. They host exhibitions, resident artist programs, workshops, live performances and community events. I found out about this internship opportunity through a MICA Career Fair. There I talked to the someone from Creative Alliance. After our short conversation, I sent my resume and cover letter to apply to the curatorial internship position. I had a second meeting with them and we decided to move forward with the internship. 

My supervisor oversaw the operations of exhibitions and its related programming, including managing the resident artist program. The resident artist program is a housing/residency program. Artists apply to the program, pay subsidized fees for housing and studios in the Creative Alliance building and receive professional support and exhibition opportunities in return. 

As a resident artist coordinator, I interviewed resident artists about their needs and used this information to create original programming that responds to their needs. I was in charge of proposing, scheduling and budgeting these programs. I was also tasked with organizing all the physical documents relating to past resident artists into a physical archive, providing exhibition installation support and compiling artists’ resource lists, among other office tasks.

I am the most proud of my professional interviewing skills when having conversations with resident artists, all of them I have never met before. These conversations were fruitful and provided a lot of insights into what the resident artists want out of their time at the residency. 

My biggest takeaway is that clear, concise communication is crucial in professional working environments. I also learn how to tangibly respond to resident artist’s needs through proposed tangible programming such as studio visits, critique sessions, and professional development workshops. This internship provides me with strong organizational and interpersonal skills that I can apply to my career as an independent curator or working with non-profit organizations in the future. 

The Compound

This semester I spent one day per week helping out at the Compound, a small non-profit institution based in Baltimore that provides affordable live/work spaces to artists, holds cultural programming events, and supports small local businesses. I have a friend who worked there in the past and got me an internship position through word of mouth.

The Compound has been around for over 20 years and has maintained an active presence within the art scene in Baltimore.For years it was mostly underground, providing warehouse spaces for artists to live and develop their practices. Over time it has developed into a legitimate 501(c)(3) non-profit that actively engages with the community on a more widespread level. There are regular music events held at their venue which fairly compensate musicians, community gardening events, 2 local businesses that use the space and employ residents of the Midway neighborhood, and 8 artists-in-residence that benefit from the below market rate housing.

The Compound itself had a few projects in motion that we worked on together—a website redesign, grant proposal design, general branding, event promotion and email newsletters. That said, I also did work for Phrame, which is an art handling business which operates out of the Compound. I worked on their pricing sheet design, some label designs, and a proposal packet for a major DCPL job.

I am most proud of the work where I got the most individual liberty and artistic freedom. I designed a flier and event signage for the first official concert at the Compound post-pandemic, where I was allowed to be as experimental as I pleased. For this, I modified some code I wrote which auto generated flier layouts and used the same visual language across the board for all of the signage. Because the institution is non-profit and within the arts, they were supportive of my more experimental tactics and overall loved the work I produced.

My biggest takeaway from this experience was the illuminating experience of working in the non-profit design sector. Seeing the mechanics of how non-profit organizations can actively participate and function within communities—and how design can be used to elevate their goals. I learned how to work in a professional environment and communicate with board members to meet the needs of the organization. This experience reiterated my desire to work in an industry that functions not for excessive profits but to work for the greater good.

Make Studio

Make Studio is a nonprofit organization that serves as a supportive platform for artists with disabilities. Each of the artists essentially work for Make Studio and create work to be displayed either at the studio or at off site exhibitions. The studio also helps manage the sales of work. They provide critique when necessary and offer art therapy to those that need/want it. I had some background knowledge about Make Studio from my research in preparation for the internship fair at MICA, and spoke with their representative at the fair. After speaking with them, I sent a follow up email afterwards and through that correspondence was able to secure an interview. 



My responsibilities included a bit of studio upkeep, but my supervisors and I made sure my experience was more enriching than just that. I often assisted with pulling work for shows and was able to voice my opinion in the process. I installed and selected work for the Everything Else (A Market Space) exhibit featuring Nicole Dyer and Amanda Burnham. I searched for exhibition opportunities for the studio, archived artwork, and spent time with the program artists. I offered critique and guidance while the artists were working and documented their progress and behaviors in studio logs. 


I am most proud of the connections I have made with the people at Make Studio – both program artists and supervisors. I am proud of the projects we’ve all completed together and the insightful conversations we’ve had. I am now able to more accurately install, document, store, sell, and archive artwork. This internship also allowed me see how exhibitions are organized and planned, including the artwork selection process for upcoming shows.




I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about curatorial work. As an artist, it is important for to understand how work is marketed, what type of work appeals to a space the best, etc. I was also able to learn more about art therapy, a career I had considered pursuing in the past, and what type of requirements would be needed to obtain an art therapy license. Most importantly, I learned what it takes to run an exhibit space efficiently and understand how to archive work within a gallery/studio. 

FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture

I learned about FORCE through the chair of the Photo Department, Nate Larson. He introduced me to Hannah Brancato, the co-founder of FORCE and the Monument Quilt. We met at FORCE’s space and talked about what the internship looked like and what some options were for projects I could work on. I secured the internship by sending Hannah an internship proposal outlining my goals, objectives, and availability for the Spring semester.

FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture is a nationally-known creative activist group collaborating with survivors to upset the culture of rape and promote a culture of consent. They have produced large-scale public art projects including the Monument Quilt which has been exhibited nationwide. The Monument Quilt is shown in public spaces to create a safe space for survivors to share their stories and heal through community. FORCE is publicly supporting survivors of rape and abuse. The Monument Quilt will be displayed this summer in the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Hannah Brancato, my supervisor, is among FORCE’s leadership team and one of the company’s co-founders. She and others among the leadership team are working to get the quilt ready for display but are also working locally and nationally to create spaces of conversation, host trainings, and speak at art and media conferences to spread knowledge of sexual violence in America.

As an intern for FORCE, I have been working on preparing and making a series of videos about the Monument Quilt. The three-part series talks about the history of the monument quilt and how it has played a role in local and national communities, what FORCE is doing now to prepare for its culminating display at the national mall, and the future to come for the quilt after the display. These projects have enhanced my video editing skills immensely. Throughout this process I’ve gotten to meet and work with all types of people involved in the quilt, whether its volunteers, photographers, interns, or the leadership team. I’ve learned so much about non-profit workflow and what it really means to be involved in the community as an organization that strives to be inclusive to everyone. I’ve been able to witness the intersectionality between art and activism and how I see it playing a role in my future endeavors as an artist, or as Mora calls it, an “artivist.” I’m so proud to have been a part of these events leading up to this display and to have had the privilege to work with these strong individuals.

Tribeca Film Institute

It all started when I was watching several films on a raining day. These films ranged from documentary to scripted narratives. As I would scroll down at the end of the film to see the credits, I would notice one similar logo. The logo was “Tribeca Film Institute”, or “Tribeca Film Festival”. My interest grew as I started to research them. I was fascinated by their goals and philosophy of finding independent filmmakers and producing their work so that larger audiences can see the films. 

A couple of months went by and I was still searching for an internship. Until one day I was talking to my brothers friend who is a filmmaker himself, and I told him my interest in TFI. He smiled and said that he worked with the head director of TFI on a film. Her name is Amy Hobby. He gave me her contact information and I drafted a email to her. She was happy to see my interest so she connected me to Olivia Creamer who is in charge of the internship program. Olivia and I had several phone calls which consisted in questions of my interest, experiences, and why I want to be an intern at TFI. After several weeks went by and me submitting my resume and portfolio to TFI, I got a email from Olivia saying that I got the internship poison. I was off to New York City. Tribeca Film Institute is a branch of Tribeca Film festival. They are the production and producing side of the company. Their goal is to find and to fund films across the world. The films range from documentary to scripted narratives. But TFI’s most important idea is to select films of independent filmmakers who don’t have the means to support their films, and allowing more women to have a platform to create their work in the film industry.

My basic roles at TFI was to respond to emails regarding submissions. I would also drop off any packages or footage to several places around the city. These were the regular task. But the fun and productive ones consisted of me looking at films and scripts TFI was producing and giving my own critical perspective on the work. This felt great! Knowing that I could actually have a voice in some of these films production. I also attended a feature film production. I pretty much watched and observed the set, but also did small odd jobs like moving things or picking up equipment at a rental store.

But as the summer went on the work slowed down. I was pretty much just doing emails and nothing more then that. Then I discovered TFI’s equipment room. There were lights and lots of gear. I had the idea that I would practice my cinematography everyday. And as I did, I went to the equipment room everyday. Which then resulted in a idea I had to create a film about a isolated intern who escapes with virtual reality and a camera to construct his own world. I will be producing this film for my senior thesis.

What I learned from my experience at TFI is that you have to make your own path in anything you do. For me it didn't mean just because I got an internship at TFI I was all set and I was going to learn a lot. No that wasn't the case. Instead I made my own time to be productive by using TFI resources and lighting equipment. I also talked to all the employees and got their contact information for any further opportunities. So the best thing I learned from my internship was you have to fight for whats yours. No matter what possession you are in, you must prove to yourself and everyone els that you are a hard worker and a professional artist.

NURTUREart

Over the summer I worked as a Public Programs Intern for NURTUREart in Brooklyn, NY. I met the executive director and gallery manager during the Fine Art Review at MICA. Christopher Ho, who was one of my instructors, and is currently the president of the board for NURTUREart later mentioned that they were looking for a summer intern. At his suggestion, I wrote an email to Will Penrose, the executive director with my resume, a cover letter, and professional references. After a phone interview, I was offered the position.

NURTUREart is a nonprofit gallery and arts organization that has been operating in for 20 years. They focus on exhibiting work by emerging artists and curators, and lean towards showing more experimental and challenging works, since they do not rely on sales. They also have several youth education programs in Brooklyn schools that provide opportunities for all grades K-12. I worked directly with Ivan Gilbert, who is the Director of Programs and Gallery Manager.

Much of my day-to-day work involved managing and planning social media posts to promote events and researching organizations in the area to identify potential new partnerships. Over the summer, NURTUREart hosts a series of residencies, so I also helped support the residents through their stay and during public programming. During the second half of my internship, I was helping to review proposals for the upcoming exhibition season; I was proud to have contributed to the process, and felt like my input was desired and respected.

My biggest takeaway was a greater understanding of what goes in to managing an art space, I learned valuable new networking skills and approaches that built upon those I had learned over the course of my first year in the Curatorial Practice program. I also learned that I don’t have much interest in working on the development side of things; I’d much rather focus on executing effective projects and programs, rather than trying to secure funding and recruit donors. This internship solidified my interest in working in the nonprofit world, and gave me an idea of the types of jobs I want to look for as I near graduation next spring.

Light Work

I found out about this internship opportunity in a few different ways. I heard about the opportunity originally while using the lab at Light Work the summer before, but I heard about it again while talking to Nate Larson about internships during the spring semester. After I was reminded about the internship I filled out the online application, and wrote an essay along with attaching my resume. Light Work is a non profit that was created by to be artist run, in 1973. Light work has residencies, publications, exhibitions, a community access lab, and many other projects to help artists working in photography and digital imaging. Light Work is located in Syracuse,NY, on the Syracuse University campus. Light Work also works with the local Everson Museum to complete the Urban Video Project, where artists films are projected onto the side of the museum. 

My direct supervisor was John Manion, his role within the organization is master printer. John works with all of the artists in residence and helps them master their digital files as well as print for many artists. John also prepares all of the images to be sent to the press for the publication Contact Sheet that is created by Light Work. My responsibilities usually involved printing, scanning, editing images, and helping out around the lab wherever needed. I was involved in projects for the resident artists, as well as helping with work for the artists that work with the lab. I also worked on the For Freedoms project in form of publication and exhibition. I am most proud of being able to show all of the new stuff that I learned and that I am able to say that I am in contact with some artists that I looked at online and learned about in my classes. It was a very surreal experience to be surrounded by the artists that I was. I am also proud that I have learned a whole new part of myself and loving the photo lab environment as much as I do. 

My biggest take away was learning to put myself out there and to be more confident in my skills both behind the camera but also with the technical side and what happens after you take the image. New skills that I have learned from this internship include networking, taking about my work in a cohesive manner, I have learned more than I ever imagined about printing and about color correction and what can be done in photoshop. I have also learned a lot editing photos in general, My technical skills are beyond the improvement I could’ve hoped for, I was constantly learning while at Light Work. This internship helped to clarify my career goals by opening up a whole new door that I hadn’t been looking into before. I have learned that I love the technical behind the scenes work of art and photography. I have also networked with some big name artists and people in the art and photography world. I am very thankful overall for this internship and what it has helped me learn and the experiences that it has brought into my life.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

I completed the Graphic Design Internship at Planned Parenthood Federation of America this summer in downtown Manhattan. I had been interested in this job for years, having known for a long time that I want to pursue design for social change - specifically to empower women and the LGBTQ+ community. Planned Parenthood’s commitment to reproductive health and justice for all racial, gender, and sexual minorities is something I’m very proud to stand by, so it was my top choice in looking for social justice nonprofit work experience. My mother and grandmother have been volunteering for them for decades, which helped me feel like the organization and its mission are also a part of my roots. When a previous supervisor of mine from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) started designing for Planned Parenthood in 2015, I knew I had to apply. My portfolio wasn’t ready when I interviewed with him as a college freshman, but he gave me great feedback that I applied to my work for two years and that helped me land the internship this summer! I was honored to be chosen from 2,200 applicants, and thrilled to work for a mission I’m so passionate about.

The headquarters, where I joined the Creative Team, is comprised of two nonprofit entities. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America is a 501(c)(3) that works towards reproductive healthcare and justice, advocates for public policies that give everyone access to those healthcare services, provides educational programs regarding human sexuality, and promotes research to advance our understanding of that topic. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is the 501(c)(4) faction, which protects individuals’ right to reproductive choice, and works towards queer, socio-economic, and racial justice to create a political climate that honors that right. Working under Annie Pearlman, the Senior Graphic Designer, I was able to complete design projects for the Federation, the Action Fund, and the affiliate clinics nationwide. I designed digital and print materials for national campaigns, conferences, events, and advocacy efforts. These initiatives focused on reproductive health, LGBTQ+ pride and inclusion in healthcare, racial justice, immigrant rights, and sex education. I created newsletters, brochures, apparel, social media graphics (still and motion), surveys, placards, programs, and internal logos in both English and Spanish. I also spearheaded the design approach and execution of a voter registration campaign and a series of graphics working to protect Roe v. Wade, two projects I was most proud of this summer. One of my illustrations - about protecting Roe v. Wade in the wake of Brett Kavanaugh‘s SCOTUS nomination - was Planned Parenthood’s top performing Instagram post for the month of July, with more than 33,700 likes. Getting to design for social change with access to a local, regional, national, and international audience for my graphics was deeply meaningful. I was so happy to reach so many people! 

I have never this much energy and excitement for any other type of work. 5 p.m. snuck up on me every day, and I was still focused on and enthralled with my projects when it was time to leave. I felt an incredible amount of fulfillment doing issue/mission-based work and doing it with a community of politically progressive creatives! Perhaps the most important thing I learned was that designing in a social justice nonprofit (and specifically Planned Parenthood) is a perfect combination of my passions for graphic design and activism, and I need to do whatever I can to make that kind of career sustainable for myself financially, emotionally, and intellectually. This kind of work has become my priority, even if that looks like doing corporate agency work for a few years first in order to enter a nonprofit at a higher (and therefore more financially sustainable for the longterm) position later. I learned so much about effective change-making strategies using design, technical skills in After Effects and InDesign, and about the environment, ethics, and culture of a nonprofit organization, and am looking forward to taking that information with me into my next job. This summer I felt like I made a valuable contribution to an empowerment movement that I’ve been dedicating my time, energy, studies, and personal life to, and I have so much gratitude for having had the opportunity to do so.