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My Winter Internship Experience

In all honesty I had no recollection of there ever being a 701CCA before I began interning here. In fact, I barely knew anything about the arts community in Columbia during my three years at USC -- surprising for a Media Arts major. Though had I not taken advantage of an extra credit opportunity for one of my classes last semester, I don't think I would have stumbled across this space, or the inspiring community that makes 701 so great. 

My first visit to 701 happened by chance -- I had been offered an extra credit assignment for my New Media Art class after reviewing installation art the week prior. My professor notified the class about an upcoming exhibition for the current artist in residence at that time (Brittany Watkins, an incredibly talented artist) being held that week and encouraged whoever was interested to attend. I decided that I had nothing better to do, and so my friend and I took up Professor Chi's offer on the chance to come and see the artist talk about her exhibition. It. Was. Amazing. I remember looking at Luis and saying, "We need to volunteer here," and we were on the schedule not even a week after. For the next week or so, Luis and I helped with uninstalling the gallery space; not really paying attention to how much time had passed -- we were both too busy gushing over Brittany's glasses while using a hairdryer to peel vinyl off the floor. Volunteering also gave me the opportunity to meet the director, Hannah Shepard, whom I consider myself so grateful to have worked with.          

I admit that I had no idea what to expect when Hannah accepted me as one of her interns, I just knew that I was excited; the hype was there -- or maybe I was still living through Andy Sachs after watching The Devil Wears Prada the night before. The more I learned from her about 701, the more I realized what being a part of the gallery involved. We were given various projects to work on throughout our time here that challenged us while participating equally in working for events (my favorite part), managing social media content, helping install for upcoming exhibitions, and working alongside various artists.   

Working here alongside Hannah and the other interns not only made me feel like I was contributing to something larger than myself, but that I gained a sense of family among my place here as a 701 intern and volunteer. It was such a valuable opportunity and I enjoyed every moment of it. Knowing what I know now, I have gained a stronger appreciation for contemporary art, and have come to admire the amount of dedication and  passionate a community of people are willing to demonstrate to make this experience a memorable one.   



-William Craig III



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