Green Pea Press Studio

My name is Cassandra O’Hara an I am a Graphic Design major with a focus in Printmaking and Book Arts. During the summer of 2017, I Interned at Green Pea Press Studio in Huntsville Alabama. I process of looking for an internship in Alabama when I found out that Andrew and I would be moving there over the summer after he graduated. I began the process by first looking up printmaking and design studio’s in both Huntsville, Nashville, and Birmingham. I found studio’s that focused in both printmaking, graphic design, and letter press, by looking through Linked-in, Instagram and just doing general google searching. After looking at many websites, and post I created a spread sheet with the address, emails, web pages, and a general rating of how much I liked the studio. I then prepared and send out over 13 cold call emails with a resume and portfolio doc, or whatever else had been asked of me to send.

A few weeks later I received a response from Green Pea Press. From there we set up a Skype interview, and the next day they let me know I had been chosen to be their new intern. I had known about Green Pea though Andrew’s family, and because they are a big part of the local art seance in Huntsville. I had visited their shop during Christmas, and love the work they created for their own Green Pea Brand.

However, I had no idea how much work, planning, and effort when into not only running your own small business but also hosting an artist collective, teaching community classes, and running a store front. Green Pea was originally created because the founder, Rachel Lackey had just graduated with a fine arts and printmaking degree and realized that that was nowhere other than school to print. So she started with a small artist space in Lowell Mill, a local artist space, made from a refurbished mill. She sold work, created a shop, and got other printers in the community to sell work on consistent with her. The bossiness grew and expanded into not only a store front and shop be also a Tee’s shirt press where other bossiness in the community could have things printed. Green Pea Press has recently explained to have a second shop a little up the road from Lowel Mill where I did more of my internship.

Some of the responsibilities I had during my internship were to print shirts, totes, cozies, tanks, and posters. From day one they treated me like a new employee rather than an intern. They thought me how to do everything from taking to clients, to set up appointments, to mixing colors for shirts. I think one of the biggest responsibility and one of the things that I am most proud of doing For Green Pea was setting up the there Campaign page on their website. Together, Martin, Kiely, and I worked from square one to set up the user flow, the look which keeps with the voice and looks of the company but enhanced it with a fresh new graphic that I got to create. During the end of my internship, I got to see it in full swing, as emails and campaign forms actually started coming in.

I believe the most important thing that I learned this summer at Green Press Press is when it comes to your career path everything you do is important. I learn to never under estimate any experience that you have in life and that everything you learn you can use in your career path.

Sheree Hovsepian Studio

My name is Bao Nguyen and I'm a rising junior photography major. During the summer of 2017, I was an intern for artist/photographer Sheree Hovsepian in New York City. The Fall semester of my sophomore year was a real breakthrough for me as a have a chance to experiment with various darkroom techniques that I have not done before. However, at the same time, I found it a very difficult task for me to prove the work I do whether or not photography at all. The anxiety went with me throughout the spring until I decided to find a mentor who can give me some answer. I found out about Sheree Hovsepian through an exhibition catalog in the library called Photography is Magic, an Aperture exhibition that showed experimental and newer approach to the medium. Sheree's work interested me because of its sculptural elements and experimental darkroom prints. I decided to email her expressing my admiration and asking her if she needed an intern for the summer, luckily she replied my email with an opportunity.

One of the first assignments she gave me was to be free in the darkroom, doing whatever I want, anything, all experimental, no mistake. This was when I can confidently say that my photographic work does not have to have an image fixated. This was when I started to deconstruct the concept of photography as a medium and treat it as such.

I moved to Queens and met Sheree and her husband, renowned artist Rashid Johnson for the first time after the school end. I was surprised that they have a deep background in photography education and now their works totally take different forms and mediums (Sheree has been working with ceramics, bronze sculptures, and fabrics; Rashid has been working with large scale installations and wax paintings). However, the reference to photography as a medium still exists in all of their work.

I believe my internship with Sheree was very special to my education. It was not a job that I do tasks after tasks (though I learned a tremendous wood and ceramics fabrication skills for the major time) but rather an extended education, a residency of some sort where I had the opportunity to make my own work and received feedback from the artists. It really helps me to better understand the medium to advantage my work and leave me the bigger and more difficult question that what photography can be.

Latino Studio

This summer I was a studio assistant at Latiano Studio, the studio of Jonathan Latiano, a sculptor in Baltimore Maryland. I had worked with Jonathan last summer as his teaching assistant at MICA precollege. We were still in contact, so last semester when I asked if he knew any artists that needed studio assistants this summer, he told me that he himself did, and I got the job.

As a studio assistant, I mostly helped fabricate one of the projects that Jonathan is working on entitled “The Only Thing That’s the End of the World is The End of the World.” It’s a collection of hundreds of irregular spheres covered in thousands of mirrored shards. I did detail work with the mirrors, but also helped build some of the interior structures of the spheres, which have to bear a good amount of weight. Jonathan included me in planning his studio visits with curators for other projects he’s working on, as well as the grant writing and exhibition proposals he’s working on. I helped to prepare the model of a sculpture he’s proposing for a show at the Sculpture Center in New York, and got to visit the Peale Museum with him to plan an installation, as well as meet with the curator Lynn Park.

At the end of the summer, Jonathan took me and his other intern, Andrea, on a trip to New York City to visit his friend who works at DYAD, a design studio in Brooklyn. We learned a lot from her and her co-workers, and got to see some impressive galleries in Chelsea. This internship was so  informative to me about what it’s like to operate your own studio. I feel like I have a lot of in-depth knowledge that will inform me in my own practice in the future.

Knox Makers

My name is Grace Kwon, and I am a rising sophomore Fiber Major. During the Summer of 2017, I was an intern for Knox Makers, a makers space and studio in Knoxville, TN. I have always been interested in makers space particularly after visiting OpenWorks in Baltimore. Because of the growing interest and popularity of makers spaces around the country, I researched for these spaces in my hometown, Knoxville. After a couple of intensive internet research excursions and  communicating with artist professionals in Knoxville, I discovered the newly opened Knox Makers. Knox Makers was not openly looking for any hires or interns, so I contacted them requesting for a possible opportunity and also attached a resumé. Knox Makers replied fairly quickly, offering an opportunity although it would be their first time hiring an intern. For the next couple of months, we corresponded through email and through phone calls, trying to define what I would do as an intern in the space. Even though it was new experience for both Knox Makers and me, it was fulfilling experience to make internship that seemed impossible work.

Knox Makers is a workshop that features dedicated zones for woodworking, metalworking, 3D printing and scanning, electronics, arts and crafts, fabric arts, leather working, and laser cutting. It is based on the community of makers in Knoxville which is small but growing. My direct supervisor was Doug Laney, the president of the organization, but I also received a lot of help from other members and the community as a whole. I was responsible for making the space a more relatable and convenient space for the members. I was tasked with various types of jobs from fixing industrial sewing machines, to reorganizing space, to teaching my own class. As a nonprofit organization that emphasizes on community rather than profit, Knox Makers was truly made up from the ground by the members and the community. One of the largest projects I had was teaching a beginner screen-printing class. The space had never had a class for screen-printing so I got to experience starting a class from scratch by making the classes’ screens and researching material. From the class, I learned many technical skills such as different wood joints and more professional skills like how to conduct a productive classroom.

The biggest take-away from Knox Makers is the networking and the professional relationships. Although, the relationships are seemingly small scale in a small city like Knoxville. The space and community encouraged me to talk to new people and learn how to build a professional relationship. Since this internship, I have been more interested in the community side and the educational side of the arts, and how to inform the general public. I have also gained many technical skills that I believe I can incorporate into my work at MICA. Knox Makers made me consider the community side of the arts field that I did not think about before.

Chanel

My name is Aage Vetter and I’m a Senior Graphic Design major. During winter break of my Junior year, I went on a trip to New York where I met a design intern from Chanel. After asking him a few questions and chatting, he introduced me to his boss, who gave me a fairly informal interview and asked about school, my website, and other things. After thinking this was the end of the interactions with them, by the end of the school year, I received an email from who would become my supervisor, Antoinette, asking if I wanted to take a spot at the office as the summer intern for that year. They had found my resume and portfolio online and decided that I was the best candidate for the position.

Chanel is a world renowned design and fashion house specializing in a range of fashion, fragrance and beauty products, watches, and fine jewelry. They also host and sponsor a variety of events, dinners, and artists throughout the year. This includes artist Lucia Pica, The Tribeca Film Festival, and Through Her Lens.

My direct supervisor was Antoinette Wasylyk. She has been the Associate Director of Print Design at Chanel for the past two and a half years. Working with her, as well as the rest of the creative department (Loc Trinh - Manager & Print Designer, Dan Gardener - Manager & Print Designer, and Fanny Level - Executive Director of Print Design) I was given a broad range of assignments ranging in length and importance. I was able to be a large hand in the Through Her Lens and Tribeca Film Festival invitation designs and layouts, as well as creating posters for Chanel stores across the US and a book for a one time boutique in New York.

I’m most proud of myself for being unafraid this year to ask questions and voice my opinions to my superiors in meetings and during my process. I believe this lead them to trust me and what I had to say, and ended up with me having multiple pieces seen through to being fully produced and created by Chanel. The most important thing I learned through this process has gone hand-in-hand with the previous idea. Working hard, being detail oriented, and taking mistakes with grace and enthusiasm is the most important thing in making impressions. I’ve had great conversations with my co-workers and learned a tremendous amount about the industry, and what it takes to make it at a large corporation. All throughout my experience I picked up shortcuts in design programs, tips for creating simple and elegant work, as well as tips and advice for presenting to superiors.

This internship has accomplished more than I had hoped for defining my career goals. Now, after my last summer at Sid Lee I’ve experienced life a large advertising agency as well as at a large corporation with strict brand guidelines. I have a more well rounded view of the things I like and dislike about the ways companies and offices run. It has made me feel passionately excited to begin my last year at MICA and to continue using and exploring the new ways of thinking and strategies I’ve been shown this summer.

Nantucket Looms

My name is Andrea Barnes and I am a Junior Fiber major with a concentration in Experimental

Fashion. During the Summer of 2017, I maintained a three month long weaving and retailing internship for Nantucket Looms. A cottage living style store that offers hand made textiles, furnishing, and design services. The store is based on Nantucket, an island located off the cape of Massachusetts. For years I have visited family that live on the island and consider Nantucket as my second home. Almost two years ago I walked into the store with my family one Christmas and accidentally discovered the weaving studio hidden in the upstairs part of the Looms. There I had a long conversation with the head weaver, Rebecca Peraner, and expressed my interest to be a part of the commercial textile world. She recognized the Maryland Institute College of Art and asked me to send her some pictures of my work as well as my resume. Two weeks later she responded with an enthusiastic email about my work and asked for my summer schedule.

This is now my second summer at Nantucket Looms. The first summer I interned I had small and limiting tasks to complete from day to day. I cleaned the upstairs studio, answered costumer’s questions, and worked on small scale projects on the loom on a 35 hour work week schedule. This summer I was assigned more advanced projects on the loom and was asked to experiment with material to create new products for the Fall of 2017. I worked with cashmere, linen, and created large cotton throws that sold for an expensive price. I also got the chance to work on set for some for one of their commercials/ advertisements for the company. I feel this time I had a chance to gain closer relationships with not only the employees in the weaving studio, but as well as the people working floor of the store, packing station, and the graphic design studio. Ive also learned each employee has a small creative outlet whether that be knitting, sewing, painting, drawing, or photography. For a boy who works in packaging his mother years ago worked as a weaver in the studio and he also practices photography in his free time. I learned a lot about Island life in the summer vs. the winter and how family is an important part of the company and it’s values. Working at The Looms has helped me gain new insight on where I want to go with my career. I want to be in an inclusive studio space for artists, designers, and business people. A place that is commercial but emphasizes the importance of

tradition, craft, and community.

Having this extraordinary experience under my belt I feel less intimidated to apply for internships in competitive cities such as New York and San Francisco. I plan to direct my portfolio towards more fashion and less interior design/ fine arts for when I apply to internships for the Summer 2018. I also hope to continue to keep all the close relationships I have made within Nantucket Looms. I have gained many mentors and friendships from this experience that I will never forget.

Never Normal Records

My name is Xena Brar and I am a rising sophomore Graphic Design major. During the summer of 2017 I was a design intern for Never Normal Records based in New York City. Throughout high school, i’ve always designed album art, flyers, merchandise and posters for my friend’s bands and loved doing it. I wanted to keep doling this throughout college and while in school I searched on the MICA Jobs and Internships page on Facebook for anything relating to the music industry. I stumbled upon Never Normal and immediately knew I needed to pursue this! I immediately emailed Suzi Analogue, the founder and manager of Never Normal, with my resume, portfolio, and why I wanted this internship. It took a while but she finally emailed me back and told me she loved my work and wanted me to do more of it for her!

Never Normal is a record label that has no “labels” in a sense. They are open to anyone and everyone joining their team and the artists they currently have on the label are diverse and amazing people. Suzi Analogue is my direct supervisor and she was the founder of the label, she created the label at just 16 years old and watched it grow into something she never thought it would grow into!

My role throughout this label was to create flyers, posters, album art, weekly social media posts for the label as a whole and really anything design based that the musicians needed in order to release their music. It was exciting for me because I have creative liberty and was told to design everything in my own style, which really helped me develop and grow as an individual and an artist as well. I am most proud of the flyers I have made as well as my change in style, I never would of experimented with my designs if it wasn't for this internship.

My biggest take away from this internship is the new skill I acquired which is how to work with clients. In past years usually, I have designed or created something and someone would want to use it on their flyer or band t-shirt, I haven't had much experience dealing with clients and making mock-ups, multiple versions etc. But this internship has taught me that and I can take that into the future for my job after college. This internship has also made me realize that I love working with clients and others, I thought I wanted to work on my own but this experience has made me realize that I love working with a team it makes the whole experience a lot more manageable. Im incredibly lucky that Suzi reached out to me, and will forever be grateful for this amazing opportunity.

The Art Studio NY

I found about my internship through one of my father’s co-workers, who happens to know the owner, Rebecca Schweiger, of The Art Studio NY. I e-mailed Ms. Schweiger, who then gave me the contact information of the studio and sent my resume, a cover letter, and a link to my Behance. They invited me in for an interview shortly after. 

The Art Studio NY is a studio that offers art classes for all ages. Their goal is to get beginners feeling comfortable expressing themselves through art, and to be a resource for anyone who wants to make art. There are medium specific classes, teen classes, and children’s classes. For my internship, I was specifically involved with the children’s summer classes. My supervisor was Katiri Helmeid, who is a studio coordinator and adult and children’s art teacher. I was responsible for setting up the studio for the day’s activities, helping plan out daily projects, working hands-on with students, and cleaning the studio at the end of the day. Every so often, I would also be in charge of teaching a project myself. I was involved in projects that taught children about Van Gogh, Monet, O’Keefe, Homer, pointillism, and others. We discussed use of acrylic paint, watercolor, palette knives, pastels, and palette knives. 

I’m most proud of being able to get kids excited about art, of teaching them new ways to experiment and express themselves, and of making connections with so many interesting kids. My biggest take-away was that I actually do enjoy teaching. The most important thing I learned was how to be comfortable in a work environment that required near constant socializing. My interpersonal skills have greatly increased and I feel much more comfortable entering a work environment. I’ve also learned how to lead a room of students and command their attention. Beginning my internship, I wasn’t sure how I would like teaching or working so closely with students, but I’ve found both to be gratifying experiences. This opens up a whole new set of doors career-wise for me.