Mellon Foundation offers Ohio State students paid internship opportunities in arts

Kyle Quinlan
Tue, 02 Apr 2024 00:47:32 +0000
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The Urban Arts Space in downtown Columbus will be where majority of the undergraduates’ experience with the experiential learning opportunities will take place. Credit: Kyle Quinlan | Campus Reporter

A new donor is looking to get Ohio State students more connected with the Columbus art scene.

The Mellon Foundation, a New York-based private foundation that funds arts and humanities efforts globally, has given Ohio State $2 million to connect students with “experiential learning opportunities” — paid internships offering real-world practice and experience in the arts industry. This connection will greatly benefit both students, the foundation and the relationship between Ohio State and local communities, said Lisa Florman, vice provost for the arts.

“Our hope is that we can convince some of these students they’ll graduate having done some of this work, having gained a variety of professional skills and knowledge,” Florman said. “Whether they go work for an arts nonprofit or go into something else, their resume will be stronger.”

The funding is split into two parts, “spark grants” — which offer project-based engagement for students and staff — and the internships, available for undergraduate and graduate students.

The committee members overseeing this grant’s execution have partnered with eight organizations in the Columbus area that are seeking summer positions to be filled by graduate students, according to Florman.?

According to the Graduate Student Engagements website, current graduate students whose “studies focus on the arts” and undergraduate students who “have been accepted into an arts-focused graduate program in the autumn semester can apply.?

Applicants must submit a resume and cover letter and are required to have an interview with the student’s chosen arts organization, Florman said.

“We reached out to arts organizations we’d had some contact with before and talked to the people there about what they needed, and how having a graduate student in this position could enable them to launch new initiatives or expand their capacity,” Florman said. “Over the next couple of months, we’ll be matching the students who apply to these groups.”

Some of these groups include King Arts Complex, WOSU Public Media and Highland Youth Garden, according to the Graduate Student Engagements website.?

Florman said both Ph.D. and master’s students in the arts or humanities will be considered and ultimately paired with an organization that meets both the student’s interests and the group’s needs. Students would earn $22 an hour, with a maximum earning potential of $7,000 for the summer term’s duration.

“We hope to have somewhere between eight and 12 graduate students placed with community arts organizations over the summer,” Florman said.

The undergraduate student component is slightly different, as Florman said it is mainly organized and operated through the Urban Arts Space, an Ohio State gallery located in downtown Columbus and focused on increasing access to the arts.?

“We hope it will affect even more students, potentially up to 120 students over the three-year term of this grant,” Florman said.?

Rather than being paired with an arts organization for a summer-term internship, undergraduates will take part in an experiential learning opportunity that lasts through both fall and spring semesters, according to Florman.

“They’ll spend their first semester in this program at the Urban Art Space itself, as an intern there,” Florman said. “In their second semester of the program, they’ll be matched to some community arts organization or group.”

These groups have not been identified yet for undergraduates, Florman said.?

“We’re hoping they’ll include not only smaller organizations like the ones we’re targeting this summer but big groups like the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts Association and the Greater Columbus Arts Council,” Florman said.

Florman said while interning at the Urban Arts Space, students will work on general assignments, but will also be able to specialize in areas like video production, marketing or exhibition design.?

These cohorts will help Ohio State to learn from students about their experience and track progress, as well as aid instructors in reviewing the impact of the grant, and will be composed of undergraduates from all majors and colleges within Ohio State, not only those focused in the arts, Florman said.?

Maurice Stevens, associate dean for engagement of the College of Arts and Sciences, has worked closely with this grant and will be leading a portion of these cohorts.?

“You don’t have to be an arts major, you just have to have the interest,” Stevens said. “Arts making and arts thinking are prevalent in all fields.”

Students can choose between course credit and being paid if they are selected, Florman said. Undergraduates will earn $12 an hour for their work at the Urban Arts Space, potentially earning over $4,000 for one year.?

Further information on applying and organizations involved for undergraduates will become available towards the end of summer on the Urban Arts Space website, as the committee is still finalizing this part of the grant, Florman said.?

“If you are an arts-focused graduate or undergraduate student who’s interested in community-based arts engagement, this might be something that’ll align with those desires,” Stevens said. “This might be something you want to do.”