Why did you choose this program?
I'm enrolled at the Art Academy of Cincinnati to earn my BFA. I chose ArtBound Initiative because a few people from my school had gone through them and had really good experiences. I was also considering another Study Abroad program, but chose ArtBound Initiative because I decided I wanted to spend my summer working towards being an artist than just as a student.
ArtBound Initiative, as the name suggests, is a program centered around the arts and works to connect young and emerging artists into the creative fields which are generally very insular. I felt that this program would allow me to access opportunities I would have difficulty finding otherwise.
I chose to go through the 8-week New York program ArtBound Initiative offers, because at the time that I was applying, I hadn't been in school long enough to be eligible for the Berlin or Hong Kong programs they offer. I really wanted to go through and have this experience so I went to New York for the summer. ArtBound Initiatives offers an 8-week and 12-week internships. I chose to be in New York for eight weeks due to familial concerns, but upon reflection, I would highly recommend going for the full 12 weeks.
What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
My university had directed me to ArtBound Initiative and provided me with information concerning how to earn college credit over the time I was to spend in the program.
The ArtBound Initiative representatives were very hands-on in helping me organize the portfolio and resumé that I was to submit to them and that they would then be passing on to my potential internship placements. ArtBound Initiative also provided counseling sessions that helped narrow down what kind of internship I was going to have. These sessions enabled me to realize that I wanted to work with a studio artist with them in their studio.
ArtBound Initiative offers many different internship placements so I felt that the counseling sessions were very helpful. Through them, we were able to customize the experience to what I wanted and thought was best for me. ArtBound connected me with two studio artists who I was going to be working with, giving me their contact information. I contacted the artists, discussing the logistics of the internship, and then debriefed ArtBound about what was decided.
ArtBound Initiative also assisted me in finding housing for the summer. The representative sent me a few listings of apartments that were available near where my internship sites were, and I went through them and decided what would work best for me and my budget.
I went through the New York program and thought about how to get there as well as how I was going to get around the city during my stay, and how I was going to eat. Because I'm from Ohio, I drove into the city with a family member who helped me move into my apartment and then left.
For me, the process of traveling to and from the city was relatively painless. The day after I arrived in the city, I met with an ArtBound Initiative representative who debriefed me on New York City life in general and some of the events that they were organizing throughout the summer.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
Have a good idea of what you want to get out of your internship, but also feel free to go and explore everything that's going on in the city you are in. Going for 12 weeks gives you more time to really get involved with your internship and the city.
I spent the first two to three weeks in New York getting used to the pace of the city and the artists I was working with. After that, I was able to have a lot of fun and find some really interesting things and meet some really great people.
Also, don't be afraid. Go full boar, jumping straight into the thick of things, and see what happens. For me, this meant trying to go to gallery openings every night there was one, and talking to the people there, or going to an event and stay after things start to wind down a bit just to see what happens next.
Part of not being afraid is going and getting lost in the city (which I did multiple times). Getting lost is honestly the best thing you can do because it’s during these times I found the most interesting things and learned the most about the city. I remember one time, I got lost to the point of tears, but I did find my way back and was surprised by the general goodwill of people.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
The average day/week looks different for every participant. My days/weeks involved a combination of studio work (like preparing canvas, mixing paints, and taping off edges), administrative work (organizing project files, sending out emails, organizing contact information, and researching grant and residency opportunities), along with doing some legwork and trying to find new clients and galleries for the artists I was working with. This is what I did, but a friend I made in the ArtBound program had a different experience with what she was doing because she took an internship that was more involved on the arts administration side of things.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
My biggest fear in life is heights, so I didn't wander over to the edges of roofs on tall buildings and look over the side.
Kidding aside, going into the internship, I was afraid of having to talk to people I didn't know and going to work with the artists I was placed with in their studios. An artist’s studio is a personal place where an artist formulates his/her ideas. Walking into a studio is like walking into someone else's mind, and that's a hard thing for me to do because I don't know if I'm welcomed there or not, and I wanted to be an asset to the artists, not an impediment.
Part of me overcoming my fear of being a nuisance was just jumping right in and getting the work done that I was assigned to do and trying to stay busy so that things ran smoothly and progress was made. I tried my best, and I think it worked out alright because the artists and I got along.
