Rubell Family Collection Museum

I'm Marines Montalvo and I am a Sophmore Painting Major with a concentration in Curatorial Studies. This summer, I had the absolute pleasure of interning at the Rubell Family Collection in my hometown city, Miami, FL. I had been going to visit this collection since I was in middle school, and I still remember how in that time of little knowledge of the art world, I absolutely loved the museum, without realizing that it was really one of the greatest private collections of contemporary art in the world. Remembering that, I knew I wanted to intern here and so in November I quickly got in contact with Juan Valadez-Roselione hoping I'd at least get considered. The director then asked to meet me when I came back to Miami during winter break and after my meeting with him he quickly offered me the position.

At the Rubell Family Collection, I worked alongside 4 other interns in completing our main project and biggest task which was cataloging the Rubell's jaw-dropping research library of over 40,000 volumes, from rare monograms (specially addressed to Don and Mera Rubell from the artists) to every Christie's and Sotheby's catalog imaginable. It was a hard task because it was hard not to look through every book I came across.

















Aside from that, I also was part of giving visitors tours of the collections current exhibition, "American Exuberance" (every Wednesday and Friday) and working on the Kara Walker piece "Camptown Ladies" that was being sent out as part of one of the Rubell's traveling exhibitions. I also assisted in condition reports for incoming pieces, visiting the storage units and packing/unpacking and crating pieces such as Mauruzio Cattelan's "Not Afraid of Love" that had just got back from a retrospective show at the Guggenheim. I ended my internship, having to create my own exhibition as if it were to be shown at RFC and presented it to the entire staff.

My Internship at the Rubell Family Collection was as great as I hoped it would be. Everything that I hoped to learn before I started was given to me and I've come back to Baltimore with more knowledge that will now help me through my career here at MICA and after. My communication skills improved, I experienced working with colleagues, collaborating and working as a team to meet certain goals. Learned about hundreds of artists I didn't know of and about how a collection and a museum is run. Spent time in my amazing city and met people that could help me along the way and even made lifelong friends and last but certainly not least, I learned about myself as an artist and unraveled a bit more of what my future has ahead of me.

Museum of Cultural Arts Houston

My name is Anda Brown and I am a Junior Interdisciplinary Sculpture major.  I found out about the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston through a segment the founder, Reginald Adams, did on the news. I sent in my application and cover letter and requested a meeting when I was in town last summer, and was able to meet with them over Christmas break to secure the internship. 

MOCAH is a non profit organization committed to bringing art to the culturally underpriveledged, using art and creativity as tools for social awareness and community development. It is a museum without walls. They conduct both on and off site team building workshops and install large scale murals within the community among many other things.

Amanda Flores, Administrative Director, was my supervisior. She worked with me to perfect my skills, fulfilling the objectives I created while there.  While at my internship, I co-facilitated corporate teambuilding workshops and assisted the administrator in making project menus, brochures, and lesson plan examples. I also searched for RFQ’s, or calls for entry for public art projects, and created budgets and spreadsheets. 

I am most proud of the research and groundwork I layed for a large scale virtual mural project that will be happening through MOCAH soon. I am thankful I was able to have this responsibility and create connections to make such a big idea happen. My career goals are more extensive now, as MOCAH has opened up new possibilities of how art can relate to business and community involvement. I would love to work in this field when I first graduate, if not long term. I love the excitement and freedom to think big in public art. The most important thing I’ve learned is how to manage multiple tasks effectively and stay efficient. Time is money when you are working so it's important not to get stuck on any one thing to make sure everything gets finished.

Luke Works Wood Shop

My name is James Magrogan and I am a junior Painting major.  I did my internship this summer at a shop called Luke Works. I found it through the internet as I was looking for a local wood shop. I met with the owner, Mark, who asked me about my experience in shops and hired me on the spot. Mark became my supervisor throughout the whole internship.

Luke Works is a local shop that specializes in concrete counter tops and cabinetry. As I worked there I realized they’re willing do just about any job someone throws at them. For example they made a sink out of a burlap coffee sack for a coffee shop while I was there. I was involved in this project as well as many more. I often helped install finished products in clients’ houses. Many of these were tables, countertops, and cabinets. In the shop I was responsible for cleaning and general maintenance; odd jobs. I also learned many skills in cabinet making as well as mold making for concrete.

I am most proud of something I did outside of the internship which is directly related to the internship. I made a set of tables for a restaurant I work at during the evenings. They are usable tables which adhere to my personal aesthetic taste. The skills needed to make these tables I obtained at the shop during the internship.What I take away from this experience is that you can make a living as an artisan, making things with your hands for people. This most certainly helped me solidify my career goals. I still want to peruse my career as a painter but understand that isn’t always a reliable means of income. I plan on working as an artisan to fund my work as a painter.

Discovery Communications- Digital Media Design

For the first few weeks at Discovery Communications,  I was getting set up with all the programs. I was given a MAC desktop computer to work on in a cubicle, set up with a phone and all programs needed to design (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator). They asked me what I needed and I told them. It was all provided. If there were any problems, all I had to do was call their global tech support which is also located in the same building. I then became acquainted with the discovery brand and style guides.

I studied the guides before working on a variety of projects.  Mostly I did web banners and show advertisements, a few typographical edits on some social media designs, and two logos for Shark Week and Bering Sea Gold,  branded for France.  I also worked independently on information graphics for an upcoming show called "One Car Too Far", which will be used as an extra social media graphic in the promotion of the show.

Also, I attended global conference calls along with team meetings. This is where we discussed some upcoming projects and what needs to be done, to help keep people on task and up to speed.

-Candace Urquiza '13 Graphic Design

FLUCT Dance Productions

During my Sophomore year Spring semester at MICA, I decided to do a summer internship in a field that involved my highest skills and interests. I used to receive emails about opportunities from a variety of staff members at MICA, and I would always read through them all. One day, I got one from Sarah Konisburg in the Sculpture department, about a costuming internship opportunity for a production planned by FLUCT Dance Productions Company. I immediately sent a message to FLUCT; in the response, I was asked to answer a few questions and submit a color palette that represented a single day on earth. Next, I received an email from Monica Mirabile and Sigrid Lauren - they congratulated me on being accepted as a costume intern for the production.

After going through the proper paperwork and getting everything approved, Monica became my immediate supervisor. She was in charge of costume design and execution, as well as hair and makeup for all twenty dancers. After she talked to the other interns and I about the album recording we were using for the dance production, we started brainstorming ideas for costumes that fit the mood Sigrid and Monica wished to create.  We would sometimes listen to the songs for inspiration, and then we would jump into actual clothing production in the studio. After the first few meetings, we had a pattern in our working style – upon arrival, Monica would give us updates about what was completed and what needed to be completed, as well as what materials we had. Then, we would either go straight to working on the costumes. As the performance approached nearer, we started organizing the costumes, moving them upstairs into the performance room, and helping set up the actual performance space. Some activities included hanging fabric to block out light and arranging chairs for the audience. On the final performance nights, we welcomed spectators in, took care of the cash box, made sure people followed rules, and helped make things run more smoothly. 

I think that what makes me most proud is the amount of work we were able to accomplish in such a short period of time. We only had a month and a half to put together an amazing, inspiring show that left people speechless, and I was amazed at the amount of dedication everyone showed toward this event. I definitely learned how to make use of every resource I have, and I learned more about my own leadership style, as I watched my supervisors act as leaders and peers simultaneously. This internship made me want to get more involved in the performance world, take performance classes, and pursue my love for costuming, makeup artistry, event coordinating in a way that brings them all together.

Sachs Photography

My name is Kelly Phan and I’m a senior Photography Major. Over the summer of 2012, I was an intern at Sachs Photography Inc, a company who specializes in wedding photography, studio portraiture and commercial work. I found Sachs Photography by searching wedding photographers in the Baltimore/DC area. Sachs photography was one of the top results with great customer reviews so I decided to send them an email about being interested in obtaining an internship with them for the summer. Thankfully, they responded soon after and we set up an appointment for an interview to go over my resume and portfolio and I was hired!

At Sachs Photography, I mainly worked alongside Anne Sachs as a Photography Assistant and Office Assistant. During the week I would be in the office. Some weeks I would edit series of images from weddings and engagements, while other weeks, I would work on marketing activities including contacting and updating information on area vendors, and submitting and posting recent images to different promotional networks. During the weekends, I would attend and assist in documenting on-location weddings, from the bride getting into her dress before the ceremony to the cake cutting at the end of the reception. At the weddings, I was expected to keep track of the equipment during and after the sessions.  When I wasn’t assisting, I would photograph the guests during the reception as well as candid shots of the family and friends. What I valued most about the internship was being able to assist directly on photo assignments with the primary photographer and have the freedom to photograph as much as I wanted throughout the event. This allowed me to experience a full day of what professional wedding photographers do at each event. Being able to see and be a part of the process first hand helped me to understand what the job is about and really helped clarify my career goals because I know what to expect.

 I am most proud of the images I was able to produce while I was assisting the weddings. I feel like I learned more about the business side of wedding photography than the actual image making which was ultimately what I was hoping to learn from the experience. Being an intern with Sachs Photography also allowed me to secure a part- time job as an assistant after my unpaid hours, which gives me the opportunity to further grow with this company and a jump-start to my career.

Mission Control

My Name is Jackson Grove and I am going to be a junior video/film major. During my Summer in 2012, I spent my time as an intern at Mission Control, a high end post production company in Portland, Oregon. I found out about Mission Control through my father, who is a director of post production at a different agency in Portland and has used Mission Control's services before. Through him I had in interview in March with George Mitchell, editor and Co-owner/founder of the company. He found that what I had to offer was more then qualified to have an internship at Mission Control. And from that point I only needed to get the internship set up through school.

At Mission Control, I started out with the simple tasks of creating slates for spots, so they can be organized and mastered to tape. Tape form is still a process used in public/national broadcast. My supervisor, George Mitchell showed me the different steps to importing and exporting from tape, and  required equipment connections that are necessary to make the process work. He would give me old projects he has already done, but set it up from scratch so that I could practice my editing. As I got more experience, new challenges arose to assist in editing on current projects they were working on. I did some cutting on companies such as Gamefly and Fred Meyer.  I also did audio syncing for web pieces for Daimler trucks. There were times also that I would observe George working with clients to see the interaction they had and see what techniques and skills George would use to problem solve.

The work I was most proud of was editing together an old project George did for the Northwest Film festival in which I created my own story from the material from a basic set of direction. I had to challenge myself to figure out how I wanted the piece to flow. I was able to get an end product that I was satisfied with and knowledge and realization coming from the after thought. Something important that I learned from Mission Control, is that you should always double check your work. Dilemmas and crises mostly happen during the time in between production and post, or post to final. It could save someone a lot of money to just double check for any mistakes.  I also learned how important connections and contacts are in this business, because there could be that one person that could make your world heaven or make it hell. Also you need to love what you do. I sat in with a color corrector for a day and he is in his late 60’s. He told me that he has loved what he does every day since he’s started and that was a long time ago. 

Mission control has helped clarify my career path in showing that I do love the video and film business. I love the excitement and thrill that comes with it. The good the bad and the ugly you could call it. Postproduction is an area of the field that I am heavily interested, especially editing and color correction, but I like to keep my mind open to other aspects of the field.

The Row

My name is Allina Liu. I am a rising senior and a Fibers major with a concentration in Experimental Fashion. Over the summer of 2012 I was offered an internship at the prestigious fashion brand, The Row. The company was founded in 2007 by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. Together they brought their visions of a successful company to fruition and set a new standard for celebrity lines. I applied for the internship via their website www.TheRow.com where I located an e-mail address asking interns to send their resume to. I was asked to come in for an interview shortly after. I made the commute to my home city Manhattan and met with John Sohn and Jim Robinson who would later become my employers.

When my internship started in early June, it was immediately hectic. The Row had just been nominated and (later that day) won the CFDA award for Best Womenswear Designer of the Year, the most coveted fashion design award. However, because I was new, there was very little time to train me immediately due to the amount of publicity the company was receiving. By the end of my second day, I was getting used to the office. I began to figure out where certain help was needed and who to ask. One of my biggest tasks during this internship besides sewing and helping to create garments was organizing the design library, which would be used to further research for the company’s inspiration.

My experience at The Row was invaluable. Though I had accepted an internship earlier in the year from a different designer called Nanette Lepore, I had turned it down once I received notice that The Row had accepted me. Though I was weary at first to potentially burn a bridge with a different company, I stand by my choice and firmly believe that it was the best decision for me. I learned more than I could have imagined because I was working among professionals who had a history of established names under their resume. The Row has taken my designs and visions to a different level. I was very consumed with the romantic aspects of fashion but after seeing the contemporary side of it, I am looking to expand my range. There is nothing more valuable to me than learning that your comfort zone and boundaries can be pushed.