• Student Internships

Student Internships at the Cultural Center

Internships provide community-connected, “real-world” contexts in which students learn:

• Responsibility, initiative, collaboration, and
  interpersonal skills.
• A set of skills and knowledge related to a specific internship context.
• A way in which their new learning connects with and deepens learning in other areas.

Arts Management Internship

Supporting the brilliant performances at the Cultural Center is the business of Arts Management. The performing arts can’t happen without the important background work of budgeting, scheduling, coordinating, marketing, and publicizing. Arts Management Student Interns help to make the Cultural Center and its programs a success by playing a vital role in the Center’s operation. 

Arts Management Interns receive academic credit for their work, and build a unique resume of experience. But more importantly, they get to apply in a real-world way a wide range of previous learning, from writing to math to technology, while acquiring critical new skills and knowledge…all in the context of doing important work.

Interns work with a faculty member as part of a small team to help: manage the Cultural Center budget; maintain Cultural Center calendars for space usage and public programming; liaise with EHS and visiting users of the facility; write copy for the Cultural Center website and publications; manage subscription-based mailings and distribution of newsletters; update the Cultural Center website content; coordinate publicity and advertising for performing arts events; write press releases; plan and implement special events.

College majors and careers this internship helps students prepare for are myriad, and include: arts management/administration, accounting, business administration, communications, event planning, hospitality management, journalism/English, marketing and publicity, and sales.

Technical Theater Internship

Students manage and run the state-of-the-art theatrical lighting, sound, and rigging systems at the Cultural Center—for our own plays, concerts and other functions—and for visiting productions. Interns must be interested in technical theater, and ready to be a responsible, reliable, devoted member of a team.

Student interns participate in intensive training. Then, they take on responsibilities such as consulting with performing artists about their technical needs, designing and implementing lighting, sound, rigging, and set, and running the technical functions for each concert and production. Ongoing professional development helps interns hone their practice of technical arts.

Interns work at scheduled times, but must also be available as-needed. They earn academic credit, but more importantly, they benefit from the exciting experience, becoming expert in theatrical systems, collaborating with performing artists, and building unusually substantive resumes.

Gallery Internship

Long before the first visitor walks through the EHS Gallery door, many hours have been devoted to preparing this exhibit and reception. EHS Gallery interns have played an integral role in the process through their participation in the EHS Gallery Internship program.

Interns, through the guidance of the gallery coordinator, gain experience in arts administration, exhibit planning, and the daily operation of a professional gallery. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in a career in the art world.

As members of a gallery team, interns and the gallery coordinator meet for three weekly planning and work sessions. During these meetings, the team visits other galleries to observe styles, interview gallery directors and personnel, and attend show openings. This is also the time interns learn a variety of professional practices including how to measure and plan the use of exhibition space; design and write exhibition brochures; promote exhibitions within the campus and local community; install works of art; and act as docents introducing exhibits to visitors.

It is not necessary for gallery interns to have an art background, although it can be an advantage. There are many aspects of gallery work that involve skills other than those that are art related. Especially important are social, organizational, and writing skills.

Photos: Stephanie B.