INTERNSHIP STORIES

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

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

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

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

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

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 stor...

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...

I was made aware of the opportunity via my professor, who directed me to somebody who was willing to provide an internship opportunity involving the freelance comic industry. After a few email exchanges, I went inside the studio and had a brief chat. It took about one semester after, before I was able to actually get the internship, when I showed him a mini comic I completed. My supervisor is a freelance pre-press technician, who formats comics, books, posters which aren’t print ready. He cleans up formatting issues, or lettering issues and adjusts space in between. During my internship, I had other small jobs, but mainly to scan various files in his inventory, which he plans to use for an archival project. Later, I was assigned to be a flatter for a middle grade DC graphic novel at a base pay rate, which I’m most proud of.  I learned many things such as the inner workings of freelancers in the industry, a new perspective on the lives of such people, their financial experiences, th...

I found out about this internship opportunity through the junior pin-up which was held by the Graphic Design department for juniors. I was approached by a senior designer at Wide Angle Youth Media (WAYM). We talked briefly about my work and they told me that they was interested in my work and we had discussed a potential internship opportunity. They emailed me, and I eventually accepted the offer. WAYM is a Baltimore Youth-based organization whose mission is to make space for creativity and instill confidence in young people, supporting them to navigate school, career, and life. Within WAYM is a design studio with young designers, and they mostly take on local work around Baltimore. They do a lot of branding and re-brand work.  My direct supervisor role's was to assist other designers and help them with their directions. I spent most of my time working on rebrands and other branding work and spent the rest of my time giving feedback and helping other designers with other small proj...

 I first found out about this opportunity through the Gallery’s instagram page. I was already following them because I had some artwork in one of their previous shows, and so I emailed them and said I was interested in the intern position that they had open. They asked for a resume and an interview, and I ended up getting the position. The owner of the gallery was my direct supervisor, who organized all of its events and coordinates with artists in order to hold shows at the gallery. I also did some work with another supervisor, who handled a lot of the gallery’s more technical work involving spreadsheets and advertising. On slower days, I worked the front desk at the gallery, and helped talk to other artists and potential customers, and helped to sell artwork. I also helped some with setting up their website and stock-keeping. Additionally, I was able to help out with some of the remodeling and setting up for their latest exhibitions, namely, I helped to organize the resident arti...

I learned about this internship through the Practice & Pie event. I was spotted by someone who told me that an employer liked my handknit sweater, who then directed me to them. She connected me with this artist after the event and I later introduced myself via email. My supervisor is a working artist who addresses and creates conversation around racism in America–with a focus on Baltimore, through craft. Many of her works are woven photography, repurposed ‘trash’ items such as plastic bags, caution tape, and more recently fruit bags. She uses various weaving techniques, hand-sewing, and other innovative joinery to create large sculptural works. My responsibilities were mainly to assist with making tests, or sketches, as she calls them. “Sketches” were like prototypes of larger works or playing around with materials. The sketches I created served as smaller models for larger projects, scalable measurements, potential joinery methods, and/or to learn about the characteristics of the ...

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. ...

Originally I was going to intern for someone else, but I expressed an interest in product photography and they introduced me to the Prop Up Shop–a product photography studio. Then, I was interviewed and I’ve been working there for the last four months.   The Prop Shop is run by a prop stylist and her husband who is a graphic designer. The studio contains a gallery of props that clients are allowed to rent out. My direct supervisor was the studio manager and his role was to help manage the cleanliness of the studio, helping clients rent props, as well as documenting studio prop inventory to show up on the Prop Shop Website. I was also tasked with helping my supervisor and the past studio manager style props for a creative shoot. The Prop Shop is run by my supervisor who is a Prop stylist and her husband who is a graphic designer. The studio contains a gallery of props that clients are allowed to rent out. I was also able to shoot their fabric collections and was tasked with hel...

During my internship with my supervisor, a remote, creative, professional specializing in graphic design and website development, I engaged in a diverse array of tasks that enriched my understanding of the field. As my supervisors direct mentee, I collaborated closely with him on various projects, including creating website mood boards tailored to clients' needs and preferences. Despite the logistical challenge of being in different time zones, I learned to manage my time effectively and maintain open lines of communication to ensure seamless workflow. Additionally, I had the opportunity to expand my skill set by mastering Prezi, an AI platform, to craft visually compelling presentations for client pitches and project proposals. Under my supervisors guidance, I gained insights into the nuances of graphic design within a professional context, learning not only the technical aspects but also the importance of effective communication and client management. As I navigated the intricaci...

Last semester, I was in Tony Shore's narrative painting class. I enjoyed his class and liked him as a person and artist. In January, he offered some gig work to help him move his then-current studio into his new one. I accepted and helped him for a few days while being paid for the time and effort. After working with him, he offered me a role as his studio assistant, which is how I got the internship. Tony is a faculty member here at MICA as well as a practicing studio painter. While interning as his assistant, I worked in his studio. I made sure his studio environment ran smoothly. I continued to help him move his past studio into his current. I was organizing, inventorying, cleaning, and arranging his art supplies and objects in his studio. After the move was complete, I continued to assist with the organization and arrangement of the studio. Through this, I learned what it means to have a functional and organized studio while also being an artist who tends to take up a lot of sp...

I was thrilled when my advisor introduced me to the RCCE E/Studio Internship that aligned perfectly with my interests in business and entrepreneurship. I quickly began preparing my application and polishing my portfolio to showcase my skills and passion for the field. This internship is eligible for credit which was another aspect that made it an ideal fit for my academic goals. It also provides hands-on experience and knowledge that will undoubtedly shape my future career in the business world, and I was eager to seize this opportunity to learn and grow.  The Executive Creative Director at Andre Bean Brand served as our internship director at the RCCE E/Studio Internship. Throughout my time under his guidance, I gained insights into the world of marketing, drawing from his wealth of real-life experiences. The knowledge and personal stories he shared with us proved to be incredibly valuable resources, as they are not typically accessible within the confines of a traditional school...

My experience as a Photography and Videography intern at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) was one I will never forget. The BSO is a non-profit organization that organizes orchestra concerts primarily in Baltimore. I found out about this opportunity through MICA’s photography department. More specifically, the former chair recommended I apply and connected me with the MICA Photo alumni who is the Art Director at the BSO. My time as an intern at BSO was centered around working closely with the art director  as my supervisor and her colleagues within the marketing and communications departments. As an intern, I was able to learn about the passion and commitment that goes into managing the art direction of a large organization. This showed me how important it is to market as an entrepreneur as marketing is crucial in getting an audience to engage with created works. Some of the projects I worked on included producing content that was used for the BSO’s social media. This included...

Submersive Productions is an immersive experience company based in Baltimore. Artists, writers, dancers, and musicians collaborate to make site-specific immersive experience productions. In their work, audience participation is centered as an important role in unfolding the narrative of a show. I found this internship through a professor of mine who introduced Submersive Productions’ work in her class and helped me get connected. When I had an opportunity for an interview with Submersive, then after I secured the internship. I was able to experience various parts of Submersive Productions’ work—from idea devising, concept research, venue-searching, fabricating samples and props for an upcoming show, and material researching. I assisted in an idea for one of their projects, The Boundary, which is an immersive experience piece that deals with death and grief. My direct supervisor was one of the co-artistic directors. They participate in collaborative devising works for immersive experien...