Paid arts internships break barriers for GRCC students
September 20, 2024 We all know what a job fair looks like. There are lots of tables staffed by people from various organizations who are interested in chatting with potential job candidates. The one thing you’ll very rarely see at those fairs, however, is a table for the arts or nonprofit sectors. So how does a student who might be interested in these fields connect to career opportunities? That’s a question Alison Rivett, associate director of the University of Michigan Arts Initiative, is seeking to answer through the Culture Corps program. “Most students come to college with varying degrees of arts experience,” Rivett said. “They may have done set design in high school, or played in an ensemble. They find it difficult to continue in college, because they don't necessarily major in music, for example, and it's hard to find room in their schedules to continue.” The Culture Corps program came about as a result of a research project into traditional internship programs. “Many nonprofit or arts organizations offer unpaid internships,” Rivett said. “However, college students aren’t always able to work for free. They may or may not have had professional work experience. This internship program was designed to welcome people and let them explore the arts for a summer while learning valuable skills.” Students apply and are matched with an organization that best fits their interests. The students are paid for their time, and the organization receives a stipend for investing resources to teach them skills and show them the ropes. Culture Corps also provides reimbursement for transportation. “We want this to be a barrier-free program,” Rivett said. “Students just need to express interest and show up. We try to remove all the roadblocks that could stand in their way. College students should have space to try new things and take risks.” Leanne Challa is the Transfer Bridges program manager from Grand Rapids Community College who coordinates with Rivett to recruit students for the summer internships. She is excited about the opportunity for students to gain paid work experience in a field that is often overlooked. “We have specific transfer programs designed to help students who want to attend University of Michigan as well as other institutions,” Challa said. “The internship experience helps students elevate their academic skills and expose them to career opportunities in the arts, humanities, literature, research and more. They can also see how other interests — such as a business degree — can be applied in the nonprofit sector.” Eight GRCC students just completed their summer work through Culture Corps. Braeden Pelton heard about the program, and when he found out there were theatre positions open, he wanted to participate. “I worked as a scenic intern at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre ,” Pelton said. “While the position specifically described building, placing, and painting sets and props for a couple of shows, I actually got to do a lot more.” In addition to his set design work, Pelton was able to participate in the photo shoot for “Rocky Horror Picture Show” ads and promotions. He sat in on some of the theater camp classes, learned to operate the fly system, set spotlights and much more. For Pelton, the experience was fantastic. “I have never had so much fun at a job. I worked with some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, and I had so many unique experiences. And while I gained some great skills — like operating any kind of power tool — I also gained invaluable perspectives about the importance of coworkers,” Peloton said. “I learned that surrounding yourself with cool people to do work you love makes any job worthwhile. Some of the tasks I worked on would normally seem tedious, but being able to work with these people made time fly by!” This is the third year of the program, and Rivett is still busy getting the word out. “We have many organizations on the east side of the state that are interested in having an intern, but not as many on the west side know about us yet,” Rivett said. “I am very interested in talking with West Michigan arts organizations to see if there is a fit between our program and their needs. This summer, our students worked on projects such as event planning, set design and construction, costume design, fundraising and much more. It’s a great opportunity for organizations to share passion for their work, and benefit from student skills as well.” Applications for the summer of 2025 will open in January. Students will work from approximately May through August, with the exact timeline depending on their schedules and the needs of the organization with which they are paired. More information can be found on the GRCC website or on the Culture Corps page of the University of Michigan website. This story was reported by Julie Hordyk.