My Experience as an Intern at 701 CCA

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 resume, but I've decided to apply to a masters in arts administration program.

I definitely encourage future interns to take advantage of the projects available to work on. I purposefully chose to work on a grant writing project in order to learn a skill I felt will be valuable to me in the future. It takes so much to run an organization like 701 CCA, so I'm positive that there is something of interest no matter what your goals are. The internship was a wonderful learning experience. For example, I had never written a grant before and Hannah was extremely helpful, which made it possible to learn a lot in two months. I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity, especially since it's a little unusual to do an internship five years after graduation.

-Rachel Donnelly

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Meet Your Interns

Our first intern is Rachel Saran! She is currently a student at University of South Carolina studying Philosophy and Art History. Rachel first got experience at 701 CCA by volunteering through the installation of the SC Fellows exhibit. Her focused interests in the intersection of law, philosophy, and art have allowed her to work on different behind-the-scenes projects at 701 CCA involved in the logistics of running a gallery. Rachel's interests in the operational tasks around the gallery have given her a chance to work with the installations, policies and grants, and assisting in operating events and receptions! Rachel hopes to continue to volunteer at 701 CCA past the expiration of the internship, as she feels that 701 CCA has afforded her uniquely important learning experiences she can carry through her career. Megan Roe is our second intern. Megan is currently studying Art History at the University of South Carolina. Megan first became involved with 701 CCA thro...

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I pursued a degree in the humanities and was convinced for most of my twenties that I was going to work as a tenured professor after getting my PhD. What I had not anticipated was that I was going to shift careers after finishing my studies. All in all, the graduate school hustle was brutally painful to me, leaving me not only burned out, but also emotionally scarred from abusive mentoring, student harassment, and cultural adaptation. On top of all that, I realized that a crucial reason why grad school had almost never been energizing to me is that it was disconnected from my interests in art and design. (Later on, I would also learn that it was disconnected from my values and that job placement for PhDs has been at an all-time low in the face of a collapsing academic job market .) The next problem I encountered was that I lacked technical artistic skills, which made it hard for me to contemplate career shifting without pursuing further education and acquiring eve...

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.

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