An Internship in Art: Learning the Inner Workings of Life as a Professional Artist

The stereotypical idea of the starving and misunderstood artist is an inaccurate view of the reality of being an artist. This semester, we have been employed by Liz Miller, Assistant Professor of Art. Throughout the semester, by working closely with Liz, we have been exposed to the unseen responsibilities there are in being a professional studio artist. There is much more to being an artist than just simply creating work; artists need to operate much like a business. Paperwork must be done for grants and show applications. The organization of slides and/or digital images is crucial for show applications as well as presentations. Having and maintaining a website is a key to success. Creative research for a project is as important as making the work itself. Working together and communicating is crucial for a work to be completed. Figuring out how to ship a work can present unforeseen problems. Finally, the installation of work in a gallery, as the culmination of all of these enterprises, provides an opportunity to work with gallery operators and interact with an audience. An internship like this illustrates the inner workings of the art world. At first glance, the term Art Internship may seem like an oxymoron, but it is anything but. An internship in the visual arts is an unequivocal experience and encouraging more of them is vastly important