Internships for Second-Year Arts Administration Students

For Arts Administration students in the Department of Art Education, internships serve as a means of getting hands-on experience and putting the concepts learned in class into practice. Students typically complete their internships during the summer after their first year in the program. The Arts Administration program requires that students complete 9 credit hours of the internship, which translates to 405 working hours. This past summer, the students completed their internships in a variety of arts organizations and disciplines, including the following:

Yuqian Wei (Cici)

Cici completed her internship at the China National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), located in the center of Beijing, Tian’anmen Square. During her time there, she worked as an Assistant Opera Coordinator. Some of her projects included preparing the daily rehearsal schedules, arranging daily rehearsals, meeting the needs of every opera singer, and translating for the conductor, Maestro Giorgio Morandi. She also assisted her supervisor with contract preparation. Her favorite part of the internship was participating in the rehearsals because she had the opportunity to work with world-famous musicians. She also really enjoyed experiencing the rehearsal process firsthand every day.

Achia Floyd

Achia was the Artistic & Education Intern at the National Repertory Orchestra (NRO) in Breckenridge, Colorado. Her duties included supervising chamber groups and outreach concerts. She also helped with concert operations and organized all recreational activities. In addition, Achia served as the liaison for all guest artists, ensuring their experience at NRO was smooth and enjoyable. Her favorite aspect of the internship was working with her Intern Supervisor, and learning the in’s and out’s of operating a full professional orchestra concert. She also enjoyed the opportunity to use all that she had learned in her coursework and to contribute meaningfully to conversations about the future of orchestras in the U. S.

Zhiju Liu (Juju)

Juju worked as an Exhibitions and Education Intern at the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum (GAC), in Quincy, Florida. During her internship, Juju guided daily visitors in navigating the center. Her projects included working in multiple areas of the GAC’s operations, such as: installing artwork, directing summer art camp students and teachers, and researching and writing extensive gallery guides and artists’ biographies. Juju also had to opportunity to attend Board and Committee meetings, as well as assist with the set-up and execution of several events.

The internship complemented what Juju already understood about museum standards and best practices in a nonprofit setting, while allowing her to get acquainted with the preparatory work for exhibitions. This experience taught her that working as an arts administrator requires not only a solid foundation of specialized knowledge, but also professional skills, such as problem-solving, communication, and creativity.

Tiffany Patrick

For her internship, Tiffany worked as the Arts Administration Intern for the Joffrey Ballet School (JBS) in New York City. She was one of six interns who worked with administrators and dance faculty in the operations of the various dance intensives that included: ballet, musical theatre, jazz & contemporary, and hip hop. As an intern, Tiffany prepared the studios for the various intensives by organizing weekly schedules for faculty, musicians and students, and serving as a liaison between faculty, students and parents. She also participated in the planning of the formal opening of JBS’ new studio in Long Island City. With the Long Island City studio project, Tiffany was able to use the concepts learned in her arts administration classes, and learn more about community cultural mapping. What she enjoyed most from the internship experience was learning from the artists and administrators in New York City’s dance field.

Silun Li (Lenore)

Lenore interned at the China National Academy of Painting as an Assistant Exhibition Manager. This experience provided a link between school and the professional world, and helped her to exercise her teamwork, leadership abilities and communication skills.

As the leader of a team, Lenore was the primary decision maker and key to the success of the Young Artist Program. One of the most gratifying aspects of her experience was that through her team’s efforts, the program attracted more than 170 young artists over the course of two days. To date, the program has attracted over 15,000 people in the past year.

With the Young Artist Program, Lenore learned how to prepare an educational program, how to attract specific audiences, and how to market the program effectively. This experience inspired her interest to continue working in more similar programs after graduation.