Caleb Way

This summer, eleven students descended upon New York City from all over the country with an arts administration gleam in their eyes. Different backgrounds, interests, schools, majors, and futures all converged at Con Edison’s headquarters in Union Square to kick off what would prove to be a very rewarding shared experience.

The Arts and Business Council of New York’s Multicultural Arts Management Internship Program places students and recent graduates at host arts organizations throughout the city. Participants find themselves thrust into a bustling and fast-paced city while working in various departments of institutions that are doing great work to enhance every discipline of the arts. As the students settle into their various organizations and departments, from development to programming to marketing, they not only rely on the support of their fellow peers but also on support from a volunteer mentor from the New York business community. This relationship is another avenue of development and investment–one that provides guidance as each intern navigates a new role, a new city, and their future plans.

2014 MAMIP Interns

Beyond the responsibilities assigned to the summer interns by their host arts organizations, they are also tasked with hosting and leading a site visit. Throughout the summer, our group trekked all over the island and across the East River to see and support the work of their peers. These site visits served not only as an opportunity for the interns to showcase their summer role and organization, but also to learn about the diverse landscape of the arts administration field in New York City. Individually and as a whole the group grew in great strides over the summer, gaining knowledge and confidence as they begin their careers.

2014 MAMIP Site Visits

After eleven site visits, a few pizza parties, a visit to the Museum of Modern Art, a professional development session with program alumni, and a Broadway show, the group gathered once again at Con Edison to wrap up our time together. The nervous and somewhat unsure faces that I saw ten weeks ago in that same room were nowhere to be found. As each intern took to the podium to deliver his or her “closing speech,” I became more and more proud of the group’s accomplishments, and my own confidence in the positive impact of this program was certainly affirmed. It would be an injustice to you to try and describe the transformative experience of the 2014 Multicultural Arts Management Internship Program myself, so I’ll leave you with some words from the interns themselves:

“At heart, I strive to be a businesswoman; however, I cannot imagine my life without a constant arts connection. I didn’t think there was a field that could combine my opposite but equal passions. I knew nothing about Arts Management, that is, until I stumbled across this internship. This program has opened a door to an entire world that I almost gave up searching for. I know now that Arts Management is the career for me.” –Courtney, intern at WNYC New York Public Radio and junior at Trinity College.

“My hope is that we have a get together in ten years time and find out that many of us have become leaders of a new generation of arts administrators that is more diverse and inclusive.” –Janice, intern at The Bronx Museum of the Arts and sophomore at Williams College.

“I think I was about seven years old when I started dreaming about living in New York City. I visited with my family and saw that Times Square at midnight was as bright as noon anywhere else, and the aspiring child actress in me was hooked. Though I’ve long since abandoned Broadway fantasies, the allure of New York never died. It was now appealing for more practical reasons–knowing that I wanted to explore a career in arts non-profits or arts management, New York seemed the logical place to go. The Arts and Business Council of New York gave me the opportunity to live out that childhood dream this summer, and it was even more welcoming and wonderful than I had guessed.” –Melanie, intern at Free Arts NYC and senior at Duke University.

“Using what I learned at the Alliance and ABC/NY, I plan to go forward and further develop my skills in arts or cultural administration. I thank everyone for being strong supporters of ABC/NY and for giving us the opportunity to develop as artistic and business savvy individuals.” –Caitlin, intern at the Asian American Arts Alliance and recent graduate of Swarthmore College.

“When I was first searching for what I was going to do this summer, I couldn’t find anything that really stood out to me. It was hard because I thought: what job could a psychology/economics double major who loves to dance possibly find? However, when I saw that this internship was calling for those interested in arts management, I felt like this was the perfect place to combine my studies, work experience, and artistic background.” –Charles, intern at Fourth Arts Block NYC and senior at the University of North Carolina.

“A bridge, in a single word, that is how I would describe the Multicultural Arts Management Internship Program to family and friends when they inquired as I was going through the application process. The function of this bridge as I saw it was to get me to a steady place coming from art school, following graduation, over a terrain I considered to be the transition into the harsh realities of the working world and the cultural landscape of New York City. I also saw the program as an opportunity to meet a diverse group of talented, young people as I embarked on this journey, in my continual exploration of how to use the arts for social transformation, while working collaboratively with other sectors.” –Maxine, intern at American Documentary|POV and recent graduate of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.

“I’m truly honored to have been able to participate in this internship program this summer and to have been able to meet all of you wonderful people. These past ten weeks have been invaluable in helping me figure out and answer that age-old question: what do you want to do with your life? It would be a far shot to say that I know exactly what I want to do when I go back to school and eventually graduate, but if this program has taught me anything, it is to allow for a little flux in my life. I do know, however, from being at Socrates that I want to be involved in the visual arts, whether that is in marketing and communications, development, or a more curatorial and exhibition-based position.” –Caresse, intern at Socrates Sculpture Park and senior at Princeton University.

The Arts & Business Council of New York is beyond grateful for the support and participation of our sponsors, host arts organizations, and mentors. We wish all the best to the 2014 Class of the Multicultural Arts Management Internship Program and are excited to see your influence on the field you choose to pursue!

2014 Multicultural Arts Management Internship Program

If you would like to learn more about the Multicultural Arts Management Internship Program, visit the website or contact Caleb Way at [email protected].

The Multicultural Arts Management Internship Program is sponsored by Con Edison.  (Thank you!) Additional funding is provided by the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation;  the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.