Dartmouth students explored summer internships in the arts

In their free periods, Dartmouth students of all stripes rush to secure internships. In general, pre-med students seek research or shadowing positions, government students seek policy-related internships, and economics students seek opportunities in finance.

But what do art students look for when they are looking for a job? While the obvious answer is an internship that is simply related to “art,” the reality is that the job market offers a variety of different creative opportunities.

Margaret Bone ’24, a studio arts major, worked in her hometown of Nashville, Tenn., with local artist Mary Stengel Bentley, a multidisciplinary artist known for her murals. As she experimented with different media and techniques, Bone said she learned practical tips from her mentor about working as an artist, which boosted her confidence.

“I knew I wanted to make art and I wanted to paint, but I had never really done that outside of class,” Bone said. “So I asked (Bentley) how she organized her studio time as a practicing artist — things like that were helpful, so I could get out of my own head.”

While Bone was developing as an artist, Connor Federico-Grome ’27 worked as a sales and marketing intern for Boston Common Magazine, a subset of the national magazine Modern Luxury. During his internship, Federico-Grome focused on growing the magazine’s readership by building connections with local businesses.

“I did a lot of work setting up relationships with different hotels and cafes in the Boston area to distribute magazines to those places,” he said. “They would display those copies in their locations for customers and guests to read.”

Film major Annabel Everett ’25 spent her summer at the Pittsburgh Film Office, a nonprofit organization that supports film, television and commercial media productions in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Film Office focuses on providing information about the region and encouraging local governments and businesses to support production, according to its website. As a video production intern, Everett edited segments filmed during the organization’s workshops and promoted educational materials. Everett also produced self-directed projects through the Pittsburgh Film Office, which provided resources to complete the projects while also allowing creative freedom.

Everett said she wrote, cast and directed a short comedy film starring local actors. The film’s goal was to promote economic development, explaining the “specific statistical benefits” of encouraging local film production, she said.

“They wanted my help with a sketch … that would draw people in by showing more of the cinematic potential of the city,” Everett said.

Bone, Everett and Federico-Grome both explored more creative roles while working in different parts of the art industry.

Creative internships can also be an opportunity to explore different aspects of the arts. While she’s previously gotten commissions from clients who would give her a “list of things they’re interested in,” Bone said she took on making art as an “ongoing exploration” because she wanted to spend time creating through a different lens.

“(Commissions are) still very creative, but it’s not creating art for myself that drives me personally,” she said. “It was super helpful to meet (Bentley) because she answered those questions about the balance between creating for yourself and creating for others.”

The independent nature of creative work has its pros and cons, but Everett said she actually really enjoyed the open nature of her internship.

“Creative internships tend to be a little more self-motivated and you can bring your own ideas and thoughts to the process,” she explained. “They want your perspective — you’re hired for the job so you can contribute creatively.”

Bone, meanwhile, said the lack of deadlines made her feel like “the world was at my feet” because she had time to create pieces she was proud of. On the other hand, she noted that it was “difficult to create an efficient workflow” and find a suitable work-life balance.

“When you’re doing creative work at your own pace, it’s really hard to see it as work,” Bone said. “I could be putting myself down if I didn’t (finish a painting), (and even if) I did spend a lot of time on it and finish it, that might not be the most sustainable practice.”

Federico-Grome admitted that the creative independence of his marketing and sales role was “daunting” for his first few projects, especially when it came to creating graphics that matched the luxury magazine’s brand – although his “creative eye” was “certainly useful”.

“I didn’t really have a good sense of the aesthetic of the brand,” he said. “I would go through old copies of the magazine to better understand how different spreads were set up and organized and their branding and marketing.”

The interdisciplinary and self-directed nature of arts internships allows you to apply the lessons you learn over the summer to a wide range of activities on campus, even those that might seem less creative, Everett says.

“Every class forces you to be that self-motivated worker and learner,” she said. “I took classes here that were really out of my comfort zone, like a STEM class, and I felt compelled to add something creative to it — like starting an essay for a philosophy class with a more narrative style. Dartmouth offers that creative flexibility, even within less creative disciplines or classes.”