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ArtBound Initiative

ArtBound Initiative

4.8 Rating
187 reviews
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Why choose ArtBound Initiative?

ArtBound Initiative is dedicated to emerging creative professionals. Our mission is to encourage connections between participants, industry leaders and global companies. Strengthened by our network of over 250 companies, ABI provides the opportunity for personalized work experiences in highly insular industries. Placements are currently available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Berlin, Melbourne, Sydney, and Virtual.

Founded
2016
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Frequently asked questions

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Community Photos

Meeting with some of the animators and crew working on Blue shades
One of my weekly meetings with my supervisor, Alejandro!
Skyline
Sculpture near Times Square
I stayed in Midtown!
Statue of Liberty
Broadway Market
NYFW
Sewing machine at leather factory!
Grand Central Terminal
Exhibition Opening Organised by my Organisation
Louise Bourgeois Exhibition
View from The Summit
View of Manhattan from DUMBO
A photo of me, taken by Casey Kelbaugh during my internship with 1-54 Contemporary Art Fair.
On set for a music video

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Community Awards

  • Go Overseas Award
  • Go Overseas Award

Reviews

Murat
Male
United States
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Intern remotely with creative companies

The program that can get your foot in the door

Sep 14, 2026

My experience has been pretty good with Art bound initiative. The first two months are dedicated to improving our resume and portfolio. They are nice enough to look at your portfolio as many times as you feel is needed. And trust me you should take any opportunity to make sure your portfolio is the best it can be. After I was selected from the candidate pool I got to work on an animated pilot called blue shades. I got to design icons, characters, and research for pre-production. Vilpa Film was a great experience. Would recommend this program.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
When my week was too busy and then I spent my weekend trying to catch up on the week's assignment. But then I need to pull an all niter on Sunday night. Being up at 4 am really is nerve-racking.
Pros
  • Getting credited in a project on your IMDb if you work on a project in film.
  • Projects are catered towards your skill set. Skill Growth when you stick with the projects you are assigned.
  • Internship placement is most likely to happen.
What other participants should know
  • Some location may no be local to you but they have multiple locations so theirs a chance theirs something local to you.
  • you may not be working on exactly the position you initially wanted to intern in, but they will make the experience to cater toward your career that you can put on your resume.
  • internships are usually unpaid, so you'll need a side job while working. Their are chances for paid internships.
Meeting with some of the animators and crew working on Blue shades
Zafyra
Singapore
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Intern remotely with creative companies

Review of Artbound Initiative Internship Placement Experience

Aug 19, 2026

Under the Artbound Initiative Programme, I was assigned as a remote Communications/Writing intern for Vilpa Films, a production company. Before my internship, I was provided with some courses on how to prepare my resume, interview tips, as well as actual meetings with industry experts in fields I was interested in (eg the film industry). During my actual internship, I was given a variety of article types to write about concerning various projects that Vilpa Films was embarking on, such as their original animated series. I managed to learn many skills such as communication with my supervisor who was overseas, while being supported by the ABI team through regular check-ins and informational posts.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Make sure to develop a good relationship with your supervisor! During my internship, I was able to reach out to my supervisor, Alejandro, at any time with questions that I had. Through this, I did not have to worry about guessing my workload or be unsure of whether I was heading in the right direction.
Pros
  • Able to set my own working hours (for remote programmes)
  • Able to have 24/7 support from the ABI team
  • Able to have real-world experience in a company aligned with your career interests
What other participants should know
  • Unable to have a sense of working in a physical environment with the other company employees (for remote programmes)
One of my weekly meetings with my supervisor, Alejandro!
Grace
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Creative Internships in New York, Chicago & Los Angeles with ABI

Good professional launchpad into the creative world

Aug 18, 2026

Overall, I had a great experience. ABI was super on top of everything throughout the whole process - from the modules, to recruitment, through my actual internship; everyone was very communicative and responsive, which I appreciated. I got my first-choice internship type and location, working as a design intern at a boutique creative marketing agency in NYC. I enjoyed getting a look behind the curtain at all the different aspects of agency life. From a design standpoint, I learned a lot about the intersection between client management and conceptual creative thinking, but I also got to learn a bit about the account management and production side of the agency world too. Overall, the experience gave me a much stronger understanding of agency workflow and the competencies needed to excel in similar settings in the future.

Mia
Female
United States
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Creative Internships in New York, Chicago & Los Angeles with ABI

Learned a lot

Jun 9, 2026

I'm glad I did this internship with ArtBound. I feel like I learned a lot about networking, client retention, negotiation, and more. I also made several connections and met a lot of people. I would highly recommend this program to recent graduates and anyone looking to break into the creative field. One critique I do have is that I wish the program were more productive after internship completion. I would have benefited from an exit interview or a general review of the work I completed and how to incorporate that into my portfolio/resume.

May
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Intern remotely with creative companies

Multifaceted and Eye-Opening Experience at ArtBound Initiative

Feb 11, 2026

As a current member of the ABI alumni community, I had such a blast as an ABI participant in 2025. In the span of 1 year, I respectively did two internships: a Magazine Editorial Internship and a Creative Writer Internship. Both taught me so much and allowed me to gain more confidence as an aspiring writer. Additionally, I gained a variety of important lessons and skills through the ABI Academy. These experiences combined have allowed me to grow, evolve, and become a better intern! Thank you, ABI!

Pros
  • Gain resume-building skills and good practice for job interviews
  • You'll learn how to build a creative portfolio if you need one (for writing, graphic designing, art etc.)
  • You'll gain more insight into how the creative industry works
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Programs

Displaying 1 - 3 of 3

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Elena Kay Herren

Program
Creative Internships in New York, Chicago & Los Angeles with ABI

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.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Kania Putri P

Program
Creative Internship in Hong Kong with ABI
Job Title
Business Development
Kania joined the Marketing and Business Development team at ArtBound Initiative after previously having interned and worked at L’Oreal. She handles inquiries from leads, create and maintain relationships with new companies and universities, and help develop strategies to expand the network.
Kania Putri P wearing a scarf and glasses smiling

What is your favorite travel memory?

During a family vacation in Japan, I boarded a train alone to the city center of Tokyo to meet a Japanese friend whom we had bonded over when she did an exchange at my university. We had incredible fun trying on the traditional Japanese garment yukata, walking down the streets in incredibly small slippers, tasting local foods and sweets, and the heartwarming, spontaneous adventures that follow when you are happy and full and with a friend in a foreign city.

It’s a memory I cherish because as she is Japanese, we got to talk with some locals and it was endearing and sweet what some of them thought of my country and religion.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I’ve only been working at ArtBound Initiative for a few months and I have never felt like I belonged elsewhere. We’re a close-knit team – and even though some of us don’t live in the same continent, we are always supportive of each other.

In the past, I have struggled to find aspects of a job that I love – but when I came to work for ABI, I realise that I thoroughly enjoy helping people embark on the same journey abroad as I was once so lucky to have experienced.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

I’ve not been working at ArtBound Initiative for long, but I have heard funny and heartwarming stories from students returning home from their internships. One student said that they’re frequently in touch with the other participants even months after their internship ended – getting lunch and dinner together and hanging out – it’s lovely to see how we helped connect these people and made friendships! One participant even shared a story of how he once met ASAP Rocky and Lil Pump when he was commuting for work!

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I have been to some parts of Europe, but I have never been to London, even though it was the city I have been wanting to visit ever since I was in primary school, having read so many books by Enid Blyton! I would love to go for our London program!

If the opportunity ever comes, it will definitely be one of the most amazing experience I will ever have – to intern and live in one of my dream cities. I’d have scones and clotted cream and jam every day on my way to work!

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Our company is unique in the sense that we’re so tight-knitted that participants never felt like they are not welcome. We are always readily available when our participants need us – and that makes them more comfortable and allows for a more personal experience.

Looking at the growth the company has gone under in a span of a few months make me really happy and proud of all the contributions that we’re making to get to where we are so far. I’m glad that I’m able to grow with such a team that cares deeply for each and every one of us.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

I’ve only been working for less than 2 years in my life but I believe that communication is an important key to being a successful company. It’s being sufficiently transparent, and honest that allows us to dig deep into a problem, and to find a solution together without feeling burdened. Communication helps foster a good work relationship – which in turn can really help in increasing productivity and morale. Another important factor would be our dedication for our students. Everyone at ABI has a passion for the experiences we facilitate for students abroad – we are dedicated to creating the best experiences we can for our interns, day in and day out, and I’m elated that I got to be part of this incredible team.