While everyone else was at an ArtVenture Saturday afternoon, the rest of us convened to explore a new Convention track - Career 360. The goal of Career 360 sessions was to provide a forum to workout career issues, either assessing one’s own career or gaining tools to spark those of others. The latter was certainly the case at Multicultural Internship Programs, a session I facilitated along with my colleagues Talia Gibas (Program Assistant, The Getty Foundation, Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program) and Will Maitland Weiss (Executive Director, Arts And Business Council of New York).

Recognizing each of our experiences administering undergraduate internship programs, Rebecca Borden invited us to profile our programs and share advice for organizations interested in starting their own. This was a great opportunity, considering the interest each of our respective programs have generated throughout their histories.

The session was made attendees interested in creating an internship program as well as others (who already had programs in place) in search of best practices. We had a great group of participants, all who recognized the value of developing the next generation of arts leaders within the field. This goal has become even more critical when considering leadership opportunities for young professionals of color – a necessary responsibility our field must address.

I know we’ve all seen the reports and statistics. While foundations and consulting firms continue to warn us of the forthcoming leadership gap, very few of them move beyond basic suggestions or solutions for how to reach out to the next generation. Enter the power and value of arts internship programs.

Most of us probably have done one or more internships (or if you’re like me, five or six). Internships are great ways to assess a field in general or a specific organization or type of job (i.e. development, marketing, education, stage management). Internships also come with finite amount of time to explore career opportunities and one’s own comfort level. Sometimes the greatest lesson learned during an internship is not training on new software, but realizing that perhaps a job or field you thought was right for you, isn’t after all.

For the three programs profiled, the internship experiences are much more than the stereotype of “making coffee” – they are about hands-on, professional, and tangible learning experiences that culminate in a final product (a program/production, curriculum, report, grant). And best of all, not all internship have to be unpaid! Especially in the arts, fostering a new generation means reassuring them that it’s possible to make a basic living in our living.

Unfortunately few internships programs exist, and even fewer which focus on multicultural students. Me – I’m the alumnus of one of the oldest and largest of such programs in the country, the Getty Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program (16 years strong!). Through the program I had internships with The Getty Foundation’s Preserve LA initiative as well as the LA Conservancy. The following year I was the Community Programs Intern for the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Things came full circle and in 2006 when I returned to the Arts Commission to coordinate community development and technical assistance programs, including management of the Los Angeles County Arts Internship Program, the companion program to the Getty Multicultural Undergraduate serving performing, literary, and presenting organizations as well as municipal arts agencies. (NOTE: Although LA County’s program does not have a multicultural eligibility requirement, it does highly encourage intern host organizations to recruit interns that reflect LA County’s diverse population).

During the session I really noticed how much of an impact all of our programs have had – thousands of interns like myself, many who’ve gone on to be arts administrators, patrons, volunteers, season subscribers, arts advocates, and slowly even board members across the US and internationally. Some have started their own organizations and others work for some of yours.

My Getty Multicultural Undergraduate Internships changed my life. They allowed me to see that the arts and culture were fields where I could make a career and encouraged me to explore the critical impact art and culture can have on building community. The semester after my first Getty internship I added urban planning and development to my course of studies at USC. Since then, my intern supervisor and mentors have been like a second family to me, advising me on job and career development opportunities and encouraging me every step of the way. It’s special to now have some of my former supervisors view me as a colleague – I’m all grown up!

My internships taught me the value and importance of networking. It was through my Getty internships that I got my first full-time job at the City of LA’s Department of Cultural Affairs as well as subsequent others. My internship experiences also led me to contribute to local nonprofit cultural and community development-oriented organizations, first as a volunteer and now as a board member.

It’s been almost eight years since my first arts internship at Canon Theatricals, a small theater company in LA. Now that I’m heading back to graduate school, I am thankful for all my amazing internship supervisors and mentors . So many took the time to listen to my ideas, talk to me about the value art, culture, and community, and shared my love for Los Angeles. Each of them continues to provide support and remind me that my potential is greater than I ever imagined. I feel fortunate to have been a part of some great organizations and I look forward to all the future opportunities that are in store. Although my internships were only 10 weeks each, I hope that my example proves how their reward and benefit can truly last a lifetime.

For more information on internship programs profiled at the session, please visit:
Getty Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program
Arts and Business Council of New York - Arts Management Internship Program
Los Angeles County Arts Internship Program *

* Does not have a multicultural requirement for eligibility, however, the program does encourage intern host organizations to consider and outreach to candidates who represent the diversity of LA County.