Skip to main content

My Experience at 701 CCA


Before I applied for this internship, I wasn't familiar with 701 Center for Contemporary Arts. I had passed by the 701 Whaley building for years, unaware of that there was an art gallery hidden within. After doing some research, I realized how involved 701 CCA is with the local arts community, as well as the arts community around the South. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I decided to apply and take a chance. I am glad I did, since this 3-month internship has given me some great experiences.

Previously, I never thought about how much planning and work is done behind the scenes for an art gallery. The workload flows pretty steadily: When one exhibition is done it’s time for de-install, then installation. This is pretty obvious, but what isn’t is how an art gallery on the second floor of a building manages to get a life-size painting of a polar bear into the gallery, when the painting itself doesn’t fit into the building’s elevators (It was a bear to carry, literally). Installation and de-installation gave me more confidence working with my hands- particularly with a power drill. I also worked on MailChimp, occasionally putting together an email for an event or a newsletter for an exhibition. These opportunities helped me develop my writing skills, in addition to giving me general experience with the MailChimp software.

Another great part about interning at 701 CCA was interacting with the artists while installing and de-installing their work. As a Media Arts major, it was inspiring to see the different creative processes that artists underwent to create their work. Being able to speak to most of these artists personally was another great opportunity to learn how different people approach similar ideas or problems.

Lastly, I was able to develop useful skills for my career while I interned at 701 CCA: I was able to take event photos and even put together a video for the 2019 South Arts Exhibition, on top of designing some promotional materials for various events. Hannah is very understanding and tries to shape the internship into a meaningful experience for each intern, based on their skills and interests. Ultimately, I’m grateful for the experience and for how much I’ve learned within the short period I’ve worked at 701 CCA.

Check out the video I created here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w2nq4ylc9chx2dm/gallery%20video%20first%20draft.mp4?dl=0

-Cole O'Neill




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meet Your Director

Hannah Shepard recently received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design. She graduated magna cum laude from the College of Charleston, where she was a double major in Arts Administration and Studio Art with a minor in Art History. She has exhibited her work throughout Charleston and Atlanta, while also working as a store manager, assistant gallery director, and intern for museums and non-profit spaces. She currently holds the position of Executive Director at 701 Center for Contemporary Art.
Post a Comment
Read more

My time spent at the 701 CCA...

Hello! My name is Brianna, and this is the last week of my fall internship at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art and it has been an amazing ride! I’ll be finishing my BA in Art History this semester as well and when I was thinking about ways to start approaching my career, I realized I wanted hands on experience in a local gallery before I jumped right in. I thought this internship program would be the best fit because it’s a non-profit organization with a committed group of helpers and beautiful artworks. The environment at the 701 CCA made me feel comfortable with gallery guests, talking freely with them about art. The director Hannah and the volunteers really love their work here and having that kind of environment makes you want to participate to your best ability. I was so nervous when I first started, so unsure of how it was going to work out but at every turn I was pleasantly surprised. I'm a hands-on person and all the tasks available made things so exciting for me....
Post a Comment
Read more
Winter at 701 CCA During the winter break of 18-19, I interned at 701 CCA.  Hannah Shepard, being the only paid employee and the director, is the mom and the dad of the art center. Everything 701 CCA related is her baby, and I am so glad I could be a part of the journey during the two too-short months.  There were a few things going on during this time period. The gallery was closed to the public for a period of time so that we could all deinstall the exhibiting items and put the new ones in. That was my favorite time. It was a process that transforms a space from telling one story to another. Mood and emotions changed as the objects, and even lightings changed.  I had my best afternoon here in the gallery during that time.  It was the first week of the new semester, and I was scheduled from 11-2. The installation was about 80 percent finished. During the shift there was plenty of physical and mental labor-- moving, painting and hanging objects a...
Post a Comment
Read more