Blue Light Junction // Community Arts Internship

Blue Light Junction is a natural dye garden and artist collective situated in Station North, Baltimore. They are committed to preserving natural dye techniques and crafts through workshops, residencies, and support of local artists.

I discovered Blue Light Junction through the legacy of the Baltimore Natural Dye Initiative and various community events hosted at the space. This opportunity was secured in part due to my previous experiences in similar work environments and my eagerness to learn and benefit Blue Light Junction as a company. 

During my time at Blue Light Junction, my responsibilities encompassed supporting community outreach, managing the concept store, and supporting the administrative proceedings of the center. I organized the studio’s library, drafted emails and newsletters, and helped maintain a smooth workflow. Additionally, I helped organize and market the residency exhibition showing in the fall. 

I am most proud of my proposal to transform the concept store and exhibition spaces into more accessible and interactive areas by installing QR codes and additional multi-sensory informational zones to help visitors better understand the process and connect with the artists behind each piece of handcrafted work. This process also involved a large amount of administrative work as well as developing creative ideas and managing logistics.

Through the Blue Light Junction internship program, I was able to refine my skills in administrative work further and gain a better understanding of the skills required to maintain a creative space. This experience has helped me to balance a multitude of tasks and manage their time constraints with ease. I better understand the requirements of administrative proceedings in a creative space and feel prepared to potentially pursue a career that contains these responsibilities. This program has cemented my interest in supporting community arts, and in the future, I intend to pursue opportunities that utilize the skills I have honed through experiences such as this one at Blue Light Junction.

Internship with Artist Fahimeh Vahdat // General Fine Arts

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 individually, noting important details like the title, date, and capturing new images along with relevant information. This archival work made it clear to me how consistency and adaptability are essential qualities for artists of all ages. 

To connect with audiences, it’s crucial to establish a clear brand identity. How does the outside world see your work, and is that perception something you have deliberately created? I found it important to emphasize the story behind ones art and branding, using my knowledge before the internship along with the knowledge I gained during to develop and form a marketable foundation for her artistic work so it could reach larger audiences. 

D. L. Tucker Illustrations from Empact Art // Illustration Internship

I discovered the opportunity to intern with Empact Art through the MICAnetwork’s E-internship program and the RCCE. After learning about the program, I was excited to apply. I ultimately secured the position by completing a successful interview with the artist. During our conversation, we found our goals and values aligned. This set a strong foundation for my internship.

My supervisor, Danyett Tucker, is an artist and a member of the Empact art collective. Empact Art is a 501(c)(3) community-centered public art non-profit. It is dedicated to creating bold, inclusive, and meaningful art experiences and installations. In addition to her work with the collective, Danyett also pursues independent projects. These include puppetry, workshops, and mural painting. 

I was Danyett's assistant in whatever she happened to be working on. Over the summer, that meant a huge variety of projects. I helped design flyers for events and sewed curtains for puppet theaters. I also guided community art workshops and spent a lot of time painting a 100’ mural in Essex with the rest of the Empact art team.

I was proud of leading a community mural at First Presbyterian Church’s vacation bible school with kindergarten and first graders since I’ve never worked with kids so young before. It was also exciting to get the responsibility of painting and drawing the deer in the large mural since it's such a major focal point, that being mostly my responsibility really made me feel confident in my painting and drawing skills, and made me want to do more murals in the future.

A big takeaway I got from working with Danyett and the other members of Empact art is that you don’t have to put yourself in a box as an artist, and that keeping a variety of skills and interests can be beneficial as a business person and an artist. I also really valued the chance to work with such a big team on so many different projects; the experience of collaborating was really gratifying for me. 

This internship let me explore how I can continue to incorporate community arts into my own illustration practice and how teaching can continue to play a role in that.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame // Graphic Design Internship

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 the operation of their world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets Rock & Roll. My supervisor was the Director of Brand and Content Strategy. This role manages the media channels at the Rock Hall and leads the creative team consisting of designers, photographers, and videographers in order to create engaging content for fans.

I was most proud of the research and different iterations I created for the Rock Hall’s YouTube channel. One of my projects included an audit of the channel’s content. I was able to help clarify a system for organizing the content and developed a document for the strategy moving forward. I gained a greater appreciation for the research end of brand strategy and how this overlaps with design decisions. One of my biggest takeaways from working at the Rock Hall is the value of collaboration and adaptability. I was able to learn how I can approach my time management with the fast paced deadlines and how I communicate with different departments.

This position gave me art direction skills that involved communication and carrying out the organization’s branding. I edited photos for marketing purposes and learned how to design for

large format printing. I was able to refine my ability to give critique to the other design interns as well as communicate my desig
n decisions with other coworkers.

This experience has affirmed the fact I would like to work for a values-driven organization in the future. I enjoyed working in a highly creative environment where my peers are passionate about supporting the organization's mission. I also found that I greatly enjoy the research and strategy side of design and branding. From a design perspective I’ve learned that I prefer to work with stories and powerful imagery. I felt that this internship was a great opportunity to support the Rock Hall through working on tangible projects.

Yele Stitches // Filmmaking Internship

I found my internship through the MICAnetwork. I was looking for an internship that I could use my video production skills in, I purposely choose an internship that wasn’t in my field to get a broader production experience. I applied to two different fashion houses but chose Yele Stitches.

My many tasks included filming and editing videos, helping with planning, assisting with photoshoots, helping with website maintenance, and learning how to run a business. Before I started there, I had no idea how much planning goes into producing a collection. My supervisor had to start planning almost a year in advance to get ready for a future season. So, that means she had to be really creative to stay within fashion trends and be innovative.

What I’m most proud about is the documentary I shot of Yele Stitches. It took a lot of time and effort to get the right shots and coverage. But, I captured it in its truest form and showed just how hard working and innovative people can be. Working with Yele Stitches was just so welcoming and rewarding. I learned that running a business is not for the lighthearted or those who are trying to make a quick buck. You must really want to succeed and put the effort in to further your business. Balancing this internship with graduate work really did prepare me for the future. It gave me a glimpse of freelance work. 

This experience will help as I move forward towards opening my LLC. I will forever be grateful that I was allowed the chance to intern with Yele Stitches.

Paperhand Puppet Intervention // Puppeteering Internship

Over the summer, I interned at Paperhand Puppet Intervention. Every year, Paperhand puts on a summer performance at the Forest Theater in Chapel Hill. This is an intensive production with original puppets, music, and a new story each year. I worked in the studio with seven other interns, two hired sewists, two studio managers, and the founders, who took on the role of creative directors and head artists for the production.

The summer was rather chaotic, there was never a time to be idle. The first month and a half was spent creating molds for puppet masks, making prototypes, sketching concepts for character creation, and lots and lots of paper mache. During late June and July, the studio was expected to be kept cleaner as it needed to also be a space for rehearsal. During rehearsals painting, final touches on masks, costuming and ornamentation were being worked on for each puppet. The final week was dedicated to sign-making, moving to the forest theater, making the shadow show, and mending costumes that ran into issues during rehearsals.

This year’s production is called “Earth and Sky: A Great Gathering for All Beings.” Over the summer, the studio built more than twenty-three entirely original giant puppets and retrofitted countless others from Paperhand’s archive. I believe there are more than one hundred puppets that go on stage during this summer’s production!

Over the course of the summer, I sculpted a few masks out of cardboard, paper mache, and worbla, dyed various costumes and raw material (like yarn and raffia), painted, built basket-forms for the internal structures of puppets, worked the sewing machine to make various costumes, sorted and stripped fabric, worked with one of the directors to sketch out ideas for plant beings, cut out shadow puppets, and even worked as a puppeteer.

Ultimately, I gained invaluable experience working on a creative team toward a shared goal– which I think is definitely something that I would want to do again. I enjoyed feeling trusted to make another artist’s vision happen, and I enjoyed learning from the skills of my peers. Puppetry and 3D art-making is definitely something I want to do as part of a creative team again. I have learned that my skills are much broader than the box I have put them in, and that it is truly rewarding to be on a team of creatives.

Flatbed Press // A Printmaking Internship as a GFA Major

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 technically only required to report to my official supervisor. The official list of Intern tasks consisted of cleaning surfaces, trash, cleaning pallet knives, refilling solvent bottles, and cutting down paper for community use. I was lucky enough to arrive at the same time as a visiting artist with an incredibly ambitious project. They had interns help more directly in printing and printing prep during the proofing process. They decided to train me in printing the most time consuming part and so this project essentially became my job over the summer.

I think I’m most proud of the fact that I was working in a place that was outside my comfort zone. The fact that I was able to successfully commute back and forth felt like a big achievement to me. Also being able to complete the over 100 runs and 360 sheets of paper for the printing project, which was a lot of work but seeing the project completed gave me a sense of pride. Through this internship I've realized that I really enjoy teaching larger groups of people.

My internship at Flatbed press helped me step out of my comfort zone and connect more with people outside my immediate area. They also helped me really get a handle of group printmaking projects. I really enjoyed my time there and I am so glad I was able to intern there.

Colorado Ancient National Monuments // An Illustration Internship

I heard of this opportunity through my illustration professor. I was really excited for this opportunity so I quickly created a tailored portfolio and submitted my application with my fingers crossed. I was really hoping to get accepted because this internship sounded like a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and collaborate with other artists. About six weeks later, I got an email and I signed an acceptance form.

I worked with several other interns. We had three advisors who taught us a lot about professionalism and ecology and helped by giving critiques throughout the process. The organization we partnered with is the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and our point of contact was a BLM archaeologist. Our point of contact worked with 30+ Native American tribes to protect and sustain public lands and foster an interest in our national heritage.

Our group traveled to Dolores, Colorado, to experience the land for ourselves and make signs for the park that would withstand the environment decades later. These signs would designate the Painted Hand Pueblo as a spot for tourists and descendants of the ancient tribes that once lived there. They would also help to protect other areas of Native American lands under the BLM’s protection and keep them from being disturbed.

All tribes involved agreed upon the idea before we came to the scene. The interns would be in charge of creating the signs themselves. We had a little over a week to learn about the site, make sketches of layouts, and make final illustrations and a ‘how-to’ guide for sign care and upkeep. Out of 7 signs,I illustrated signs 6 and 7, in which I did illustrations of native plants.

During my internship, I went on a hike for the first time, tried many new foods, and experienced new cultures while collaborating and living with a professional team for the first time in my career. The scenery will stick with me forever, and I’m glad that I could do so much plein-air work as a job and help to educate others.

This internship gave me the experience of my first professional client work and helped me practice collaboration and communication with other creatives professionally. My career path has become broader. I’ve learned that I enjoy working with others and have learned new skills for accomplishing goals under strict deadlines. This internship was beneficial spiritually and professionally.

IndieCade // Game Design Internship

I found my internship opportunity with IndieCade through LinkedIn! I spent a lot of time preparing for applying to summer internships in the fall and spent the summer and fall revising and adding to my resume and my portfolio. After applying through the site, I got reached out during winter break for an interview with my supervisor. I prepared for my interview and secured my internship through this. I was honest about my capabilities, what skills I wanted to learn and how this internship aligned with them. I then started working under IndieCade and HEVGA for their collaboration called Horizons!

The two organizations work together to highlight exceptional student work to the public and being the connection between students and people in the industry. The organization hosts events such as conferences, showcases and game jams to succeed in this. My responsibilities included project management tasks, organizing meeting notes and documentation. I was involved in providing student perspective during meetings for events like the Horizons conference and the showcase. I was also a part of the ambassador's programs in which I was the representative of MICA’s Game Design major in the showcase.

My biggest takeaway was that I should always be creating new work. I am most proud of being able to open up other opportunities for other Game Designers at MICA because I think it is a great investment as the industry continues to be popular. I’ve learned that connection and representation is very important. I was able to sharpen my communication skills in a professional setting and gain skills in project management and strategic thinking/planning. This internship has helped me explore the Project Management side of the Game Design industry and acquire skills I need to be successful in that field as it is a pathway I am interested in career wise.

Smithsonian Internship // National Museum of American History

I found out about the Conservation Internship for Broadening Access (CIBA), through the Smithsonian’s internship opportunities website. I was looking for conservation experience as I plan on pursuing it in graduate school, so I looked up several museums online until I found this one.

The Smithsonian is one of the largest national research and museum networks, they provide research and educational opportunities, as well as maintain a vast public museum network. I was specifically placed at the National Museum of American History (NMAH), which specializes in objects and stories pertaining to American History. Specifically in the Paper Conservation Lab, we worked to maintain, repair, and store paper objects of American History. 

My responsibilities centered around learning and practicing conservation and preventative conservation skills, including page repair, rehousing objects, testing inks, and cleaning objects. The specific projects I worked on were: repairing the Mack McCormick pages so they can be documented digitally for researchers, rehousing animation cells, rehousing a WW2 parachute, rehousing USS Maine memorial ribbons, packing and wrapping paper objects to be switched out for display in fall, and cleaning and repairing Jenny Lind sheet music for display. 

I am most proud of the work we did with the USS Maine ribbons, as they came to us tangled and crumpled in a small tray and we created thirteen custom padded boards and trays to neatly and safely store each of them. This was a huge improvement in appearance and safety for them and really stressed to me how important this preventative conservation work is and how the presentation of an item affects how others working in the collections treat and respect the objects. 

I feel that I have acquired general skills in conservation through this internship which will be important for graduate school, but also my future career. Most of these skills are very basic yet the most relevant and heavily used ones in the day-to-day work as a conservator. This internship greatly helped me to clarify my career goals as I thought I was interested in conservation, and now I know for sure that this is definitely the career path for me, as I thoroughly enjoyed learning throughout the summer and putting to use all the skills I was taught.

Ikonic Visions // Film Internship

I ran into an old acquaintance who went to MICA and graduated from the MFA program, running his own LLC; I thought to myself this would be a perfect internship opportunity to learn from someone who understands the world I come from and is on the path I wish to be in the near future. I briefly exchanged contacts and eventually in contact with my future supervisor. He used to live down the street from me as kids growing up, so it was cool to see things come full circle for us. 

Ikonic Visions is a multimedia film production company The group’s focus is to serve its clients by creating “Ikonic” moments through the medium of video specializing in documentaries, brand stories, event recaps, and social impact-driven content. 

Since this is a small business, I had a lot more responsibilities compared to the average film intern. The average intern would be introduced into the world as a PA slowly working up the ranks delving into gaffing, grip, assistant camera, and so forth. But here my role comprised many different departments of film production such as both production and post-production. My responsibilities ranged from setting up entire sets, lights, wires, stands, backdrops, cameras, tripods, car mounts, monitors, assistant camera, and audio. For post-production, I was delegated to create social media shorts recapping various events, and workshops, showcasing behind the scenes of various projects. Within these projects, I’d have to organize the files, edit, color correct, sound design, and format the video for various social media platforms. 

There were various projects I’ve been part of such as the shooting of a tequila brand, actors workshops, music videos, and various documentary projects. I’ve learned a lot of new skills during this internship outside of artistry. I learned to never undersell myself, to price myself what I’m worth. Make connections accordingly because doors may open and even close depending on who you know. Not everyone has your best interests in mind. 

Production wise I’ve learned a lot regarding sound design as that’s always been my achilles. I’ve gained a greater understanding of how to properly mix dialogue, music, and ambiance ducking audio when needed. I think this helped me clarify my career goals a ton. In the film industry I’m going to have to do a lot of things I dislike and things that I downright hate but these are all things I have to experience through living or I would never have gained the understanding I have today.

The Washington Printmakers Gallery

The Washington Printmakers Gallery is an artist-run gallery founded in 1985 that houses contemporary fine art prints and photographs. It now has a membership of local and national printmakers, photographers, and book artists. They host juried shows, both group and solo exhibitions, workshops, classes, talks, and outreach programs. The gallery also houses bins and flat files with artist’s prints and photographs.

When I first heard about the Washington Printmakers Gallery, it was through my dad who was interested in visiting the gallery with me over summer break. When researching on their website, I noticed that they offered internship opportunities for academic credit. I decided to reach out and after a few exchanges, we discovered that my advisor and a professor were members of the gallery for many years. With this connection, I managed to secure an interview as well as the request of my art in person. I arrived with my art and was accepted as an intern almost immediately.

We decided that in order to best accommodate my hours, we would do remote work every other week. When remote, I was tasked to promote the programs weekly, posting to spread the word about the programs taking place in the gallery. When I was in person, I got to work at the front desk and talk to visitors about their interest in art and what caused them to walk into the gallery. I also had the opportunity to learn about pricing pieces, editioning, and framing.

I think the biggest take away for me were the connections I made in being at the gallery. With every visit, I would meet a member of the collective that had lots of advice for me about my prints. When I revealed a proof of my print during a juried exhibition to my supervisor, she pushed me to show all the other members. They all were excited to see my work and asked me to take pictures of the final product to show them after the semester ended.


Meeting printmakers and fine artists from all over the globe and hearing their stories helped me immensely in realizing what I wanted to do when I graduated. It also gave me a list of people who owned presses locally and I could learn from, even after graduation.

UX is Fine // Concept Art + Game Design Internship

I got the internship at UX is Fine all by chance! I took a Concept Art class and we had to design a character for a project. I presented my character and my professor was so impressed he wanted to invite me to the UX is Fine Slack Team. After meeting the team, I was offered an internship to work on a really big project!

UX is Fine! is a moderately sized game-development third-party company that mainly focuses on the visual design of each UI/UX component and also implements them in the video games for ease of export. UXiF has a history of well-known names such as Riot Games as its clients.

Due to NDA reasons, I cannot reveal what the projects I worked on were as the game has yet to be released. However, I can say that I had the responsibility as a UI artist and I had to use my painting and illustration skills to edit and create images for versatile UI/UX uses! I also had the responsibility to continuously report to both supervisors on my progress. 

From my experience, I think the most important thing I learned is that for a healthy team to function and for my career to go a long way, always have kindness as the top of my priority. I’ve acquired a lot more confidence and also the skills to become someone easier to work with. I’ve acquired many tools in my belt, especially communication and management tools with applications, which are essential nowadays in the asynchronous workspace.

Overall, this experience has most definitely helped clarify my career goals. I love doing UI/UX, but I think my goal is still to work specifically in concept art and character design. However, this internship has opened up a very clear path for me. I have made connections and this networking will go a long way in giving me a head-start in entering the industry. 

Shoestring Press Print Studio // Printmaking Internship

I was following shoestring press on social media, they specialized in social activism which really stuck out to me. I emailed them early in December to lock down a summer internship.

Shoestring Press is a community print studio in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. They work as a shop for experienced and new artists, providing space for 40+ printmakers and creatives to engage with both each other and their own work. It creates a space to do the rather technical sides of printmaking that require specific equipment, all at a relatively low cost and with quite a bit included. The team handles a lot of the prep for printing for members, mostly in regards to screen printing, trying to make it as accessible as possible for members. The press also has a master printing and commercial printing side, doing official work for larger artists and taking spare print jobs on their large LaserJet printer for banners and posters.

My direct supervisor while I was on the job was the master printer and owner at Shoestring! He handles all of the client work. I was involved in a wide variety of work while I was there, each day receiving a new set of things to work on from my supervisor.

Some of the highlights included helping with low-cost woodworking for shelves, a sink and a dark room in their new space, going to a storage unit in Connecticut my first day to retrieve a variety of printmaking equipment from my supervisors storage unit, assembling the first part of a very large and old paper shear and getting to help print some of the t-shirts for the Brooklyn Fine Art Book Fair.




I am the most proud of feeling like I can hold my own in a professional space that relates directly to what I'd like to do with my career. I think my biggest takeaway is that there is no right path to the thing. I think if it is something you love, you do it. It sounds cheesy, but I think you end up where you need to. This internship has clarified another path that I did not see as entirely possible but now I see how I could make a printmaking career work.

Blacksmithing with Nick Ireys // NI Metal Design

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 change by the day. In my time there I assisted in the production of two main projects, one being the refinishing of a forged banister that needed a recoat, and the other being the fabrication of a ten foot tall gate. I also helped with a number of smaller projects, such as grinding and handling hammers, making a tool stand for a commemorative trophy, as well as assisting with cleanup of the shop. 

My most important takeaway from the experience would definitely be learning to be more confident and comfortable with failure. I made a lot of mistakes during this internship while forging and definitely got a lot more used to being okay with the idea of failing and trying again instead of being too afraid to swing the hammer hard and taking twice as long as a result.

I have gotten comfortable with basic blacksmithing techniques and now have the skill to forge a variety of basic forms, as well as how to map out how I would approach forging new shapes. I also now have the skill to make more intricate tools with certain specifications. I am also comfortable with operating a handful of shop tools. I’ve particularly learnt a lot on what I find fulfilling creatively and emotionally in a job, which has definitely helped clarify what I want to work towards in the future.

Limonata Creative Prop Up Shop Intern

Limonata Creative

During my Studio Lighting class out professor took us to a Prop Up Shop, called Limonata Creative. A Prop Up Shop is a prop house full of props and a studio that people can use for various projects. The owner started out in corporate work. After working in that world for a while, she decided to make a creative change and became a prop stylist and created her own prop house.

After the tour, I told the owner how inspired I was from her story and asked if she needed an intern. She said yes and told me to email her, after that everything else fell into place.My responsibilities included helping the owner with styling the props during photoshoots. Also, during these photoshoots, I learned different skills from the photographers that I meet and even made some connections. I also worked with the in-studio photographer who photographed the inventory and uploaded it to the company website. When I worked with him I got a closer look at the ins and outs of photography and gained more experience with photographs, as well as a more in-depth explanation of the business side of things. Through him I learned more about lighting, Capture One, editing, and how to create a payment plan for customers.

The best part of the internship are the people I got to meet and the connections I created through them. I am most proud of being able to take a set forward into my career and learning important things that will help me take a bigger step towards that. The most important ting I have learned is the ins and outs of commercial photography. I also learned about Capture One, which is another photo software that is widely used in the photography world. This internship helped me understand how to achieve my goal of being a commercial photographer.