Every Tuesday and Wednesday, we B.F.A.s report to our respective internships to gain real-world, professional experience in our chosen fields. One of the best parts of this internship arrangement was our ability to select our placement either from a comprehensive suggested list or from an outside source. As a result, we all acquire different experiences and I took the opportunity to ask about everyone’s first few weeks on the job.
Name: Anna Warfield
Graduation Year: 2017 (sophomore)
Internship: Pace Prints
Why did you choose this internship? I chose my internship because of my interest in print as a medium. I was similarly interested in holding an internship in a studio setting, which is the case with Pace.
What are some typical tasks? I cut and tear down paper, dampen paper, register paper on a printing plate, I act as “clean hands” for the master printers (so I handle the prints that are being printed for editions), I help start up and close down printing plates, I mix and clean up ink, work on Photoshop to set up digital files, I help print digital files etc. It’s a great deal of odd jobs that need doing and I am there to do them basically.
I’ve walked through the warehouse/storage space with my boss, and there were Keith Haring prints just absolutely everywhere. It was so exciting.
It was really intense to find out I was going to be the clean hands of the studio space. I felt so much pressure to not screw up and dent a Dan Walsh print as I moved it from the press to the damp case for overnight storage. Once my pulse was no longer ringing in my ears, I started to feel pretty cool. I was like just casually handling Dan Walsh prints, NBD.
I was given (literally, she just handed me this rather large copper plate) my own plate to take home and to etch for grins and giggles because my boss is a dream.
What’s something that you’ve learned? I’ve learned to smile. It helps when making first impressions and it makes you almost feel like you’re happy even if it’s a bad/tiring day.
I learned to ask as many questions as possible to get a job done quickly, efficiently and without mistakes.
I also learned that I’ll be wearing a lot of t-shirts because mineral solve and ink get everywhere, even when you put on an apron.
Name: Mariko Azis
Graduation Year: 2016 (senior, concurrent degree)
Internship: Artsy
Why did you choose this internship? Last summer, I read an idealistic Wall Street Journal piece about the future of art’s role within popular culture, someday being as ubiquitously appreciated as music and detaching from the institutionalized elitist tendencies of the industry. I loved the piece; it aligned with everything I’ve ever believed about the importance of art commercially and developmentally. I was so taken by it that I ended up researching the author, Carter Cleveland, and discovered that he was building a company called Artsy that sought to make all the world’s art accessible online for both educational and commercial purposes. Ever since, I had my eye on any employment opportunities with the company, with genuine hopes to further the progress of their mission.
What are some typical tasks? My biggest role in the Digital Marketing department at Artsy involves boosting search engine optimization for our online platform, using outreach and link building strategies, and focusing on the content on Artsy’s artist pages.
A unique experience? Leonardo di Caprio was in our office the very first day I was in; that was pretty exciting.
What’s something that you’ve learned? Take initiative and make suggestions. As artists and creatives, our greatest value in non-artistic tasks and industries is our ability to improvise and manifest creative solutions.
Name: Veronica Constable
Graduation Year: 2017 (sophomore)
Internship: Ann Craven
Why did you choose this internship? I liked her art style.
What are some typical tasks? Running errands and making/stretching canvases
Any interesting experiences? Getting lost all the time
What’s something that you’ve learned? Ask for the exact address before you go somewhere so as to not go to the right store in the wrong location
Name: Rachel Redhead
Graduation Year: 2018 (sophomore, concurrent degree)
Internship: Aperture Foundation
Why did you choose this internship? I was interested in getting a sales and marketing internship at an art-related business, and I’m also interested in film photography, so Aperture seemed to be the best fit for both of those things.
What are some typical tasks? I create invoices, send mail, take calls, upload pictures to their webpage, write book descriptions for their site, and re-stock book displays.
I got to organize their “vault” of prints, which is basically a huge room filled with expensive prints that were never sold. Also, we have a very fluffy and orange office cat named Ouija.
What’s something that you’ve learned? Businesses really don’t trust interns to do any kind of super important tasks.
Name: Tiffany Li
Graduation Year: 2017 (sophomore)
Internship: Garance Doré Studio
Why did you choose this internship? I’ve been following Garance’s blog since junior year of high school when I was beginning to feel confident enough to experiment with fashion and my personal style. I have read it almost daily ever since. It was a dream of mine to work for her, and when I received the email saying I got the position, I legitimately shrieked and cried, which was very out of character.
What are some typical tasks? I do a lot of pickups and returns around the city. Because of that, I’ve been to the offices of a bunch of major fashion brands around New York. Just this week, I was at Stella McCartney, Manolo Blahnik, and The Sartorialist.
I also do research for projects and interviews – I recently pulled together a ton of information on Drew Barrymore’s beauty company because Garance interviewed her the next day in the studio! I was so bummed I wasn’t working that day.
What’s something that you’ve learned? Make yourself available and deliver. It might seem like trivial work (like searching Pinterest for 2 hours) but it really contributes to the office and towards diminishing the heap of work that always needs to get done. Dress well, but wear comfortable walking shoes or snow/duck boots to get around the city.
Name: Rebecca Allen
Graduation Year: 2017 (junior)
Internship: Lisa Perry
Name: Pauline Shongov
Graduation Year: 2017 (sophomore)
Internship: Gagosian Gallery and Lothar Osterberg
To any AAP students interested in participating in the program in the future: feel free to contact any of us if you see that we have an internship that you’re interested in!