New York City has long been regarded as a pinnacle of art and cultural influence, even outside of America. Townsend Harris High School offers Harrisites many art-based classes to foster their appreciation for the subject, and many have developed interest in pursuing it further. This spring, many Harrisites are looking forward to applying to summer internships for the arts. In addition to bolstering their resume, art internships are an excellent way for Harrisites to break into networking and mapping out their passion projects.
When it comes to the social aspect of art, senior Abbiegale Daljeet said, “While I haven’t indulged in many art-related internships, I will say that ones, such as Street Lab Teens, free Pre College, or even some paid summer internships can help a person apply their art skills when connecting [with] communities in multiple different environments.” Social skills are just as crucial to develop alongside skills in any art department, especially when it comes to building connections with experts in a specific field of interest. Students interested in non-profit work and local organizing should also look into CITYarts, which offers internships that involve creating community-based public art, much like Street Lab Teens.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has recently opened several summer internship registrations to high school sophomores and juniors, offering a variety of departments to intern in, such as curatorial, visual, design, etc. Each intern is assigned a project that aligns with their respective department, and assists a staff member to gain insight into the experiences of career experts.
When asked about her thoughts on these internships, sophomore Angela Lee said, “I have not had any previous experience, but I would recommend internships that are offered by museums, such as the Met Museum, especially if they’re paid. In terms of my general experience, I took the traditional art elective [in] freshman year, but I’ve always had a passion for art, so it’s a hobby I dabble in often.” Similar paid summer programs are also offered by the Museum of Arts and Design and The Bronx Museum, giving students interested in museum work ample opportunity for career exploration and project collaboration with peers their age.
Visual art is not the only specialization that art internships appeal to however, as the vast list of these programs range from practicing traditional mediums to even culinary arts. For instance, CampusNYC is an expansive and accessible summer internship program for high school students interested in the culinary arts, but reaching out to restaurants or small businesses, in general, can be just as resourceful as a real-world experience. Sophomore Ryan Foster said, “My general experience with art has been through my love of cooking. Cooking has not only been a passion of mine, but it’s also helped me develop many skills that I can carry with me throughout my life, such as patience and perseverance in the face of challenges.”
Outside of internships, art courses and clubs are essential for students interested in the arts to flesh out their creative and expressive minds outside of the intense school environment. Freshman Megan Madelar said, “I took art talent classes in my middle school, where they focused on more intermediate to advanced techniques and used higher quality materials. It helped to provide more insight on color theory and created a pretty liberal art space for me to make whatever I pleased.”
As many Harrisites are still deciding what summer programs they will take to match the path they want to pursue, whether it be in their high school or college careers, art internships are one of many options available.
