Communicating Art

This summer I was the curatorial and development intern at LACE, a non-profit arts organization. With support from the Barbara Bice Internship in Public Interest, I lived in an apartment in downtown LA and worked four to five days a week, each day taking the train to Hollywood where I would emerge from underground to a bustling area with tall buildings. Its location gave LACE an edge and a lively energy.

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From day one, LACE became the highlight of my day. I’d take the back entrance, go up a steep flight of stairs, and enter the office. After a few weeks, LACE began to feel like a family.

In my first project at LACE I was assigned to be a week-long assistant to Jeanne Van Heeswijk, a prominent Dutch artist. Her project, Public Faculty No. 8 involved interviewing the public about Hollywood. This was completely new to me; as an artist, I had only worked with tangible mediums such as paint and pencil. To wander with Jeanne and ask passersby their thoughts was initially difficult for me to accept as art. Yet as we collected information I began to see an art project. There was a melancholic beauty in it; for example, on the same day we interviewed a famous hip-hop producer and a homeless man with cancer, creating a more rounded discourse about Hollywood. This project exposed me to the infinite possibilities of art, and showed me how different viewpoints can help create an accurate, complex painting of a subject.

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Soon, LACE began to prepare for “Native Strategies,” a group of performance artists set to create an art journal about communication through experimental sound composed of interviews and performances by LA-based artists. In preparation, the interns learned art handling, gallery preparation techniques, and how to use different tools. As the development intern, I was also responsible for donor and sponsor outreach.

After countless meetings with the artists, we cleaned the gallery, repainted walls, set up lighting and camera equipment, and put vinyl on the wall. I was even invited to edit interview transcripts that would eventually be published in the journal because I was an English major. Very exciting! LACE was ready for its summer show. Two completely different artists would perform together behind a screen which separated performers from audience.

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Although the audience could see through the screen, the performers could not, giving the illusion of a private space where they could communicate through their sound of choice. After each performance, the artists would engage in a conversation about the performance and their thoughts on sound and communication. It was very beautiful to watch, especially knowing that my efforts had gone into this project. Listening to the audio of their interviews afterwards while editing the transcriptions made it more rewarding.

I was given a well-rounded experience at LACE thanks to my extremely helpful and encouraging boss Melissa, who has given me knowledge that can be used in any future job in the art world. Not only did I learn about the inner workings of a very successful non-profit art organization, I also learned how to work with all kinds of people and collaborate on projects. Working with people who were involved with the arts really helped me understand myself more in terms of my relationship to art, the art world, and the people involved within it, and I am so thankful that I had the chance to have this experience.

Editor’s Note: This guest blogger was a 2014 Scripps College Internship Grant recipient. To learn more about the 2015 Internship Grant process, click here.  Deadline Feb. 5.

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