I was really happy to have the opportunity to work here as I had heard things about it from friends who volunteered for a long time. Being in the space and getting to work with the install and uninstall process was something that I was looking forward to the most and proved to be as rewarding of an experience as I hoped it would be. Getting to come in and help put up art by real recognized artists and meeting people in the arts community was something I wasn’t expecting to happen as much as it did. Actually being able to talk to these people doing this work professionally is something that helped me to appreciate just how much goes into these organizations and the process overall. Working here was also a good thing for my resume. Personally, it gave me time to create professional designs and to hone my skills with website design. Being able to be the one to redesign the 701 press packet, relatively soon to the time I started, was assuring that I would truly gain experience. I als...

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, literal...

My 701 CCA Experience When Hannah offered me the position as one of the spring interns for 701 CCA, I was so excited. At the first intern meeting in February, I met the other two interns, Cole and Erich, and we discussed what we would be working on during the next several months. I was happy to hear that there were opportunities to try different things regarding installation, marketing and social media, and events. During the first week of the internship, I worked to organize the preexisting donor database that was a compilation of records and documents from the past ten years of 701 CCA. Over the next few weeks, I learned how to use MailChimp, post 701 CCA events on local online calendars, draft content for the youth summer workshops and more. I learned a lot about the day to day communications that are essential to the organization.   The next project that I worked on was helping Hannah install the South Arts 2019 Southern Prize and State Fellows exh...

I graduated with a BFA in printmaking from USC in 2013.  I've been out of college for a few years and I wasn't happy with my current job prospects.  After looking into master's programs in arts administration, I contacted Hannah, the director at 701 CCA, about volunteering in order to get some experience for my resume and a better idea of what I want to do.  When I met Hannah, she told me about the internship and encouraged me to apply. The internship at 701 has been a great experience.  I've been able to get firsthand experience in what goes on behind the scenes at a nonprofit arts organization.  The most interesting part was working with Janet Orselli to install her re:Visions exhibition.  It was exciting to see the gallery come together and to help with the opening reception at the end.  I've gotten to work on marketing, social media outreach, grant writing, gallery installation, and an event.  Not only has this significantly helped my resu...