Practical Experience. Truly Rewarding.
LexArts seeks talented, driven young aspiring arts administrators to fulfill fall, summer, and spring internships in various areas. Interns expand their skillsets and understanding in a particular department while gaining broad knowledge through collaboration with the entire LexArts staff.
LexArts is seeking interns in the following areas:
- Public Art & Gallery Management
- Arts Education & Community Programming
- Communication & Events
- Social Media Marketing & Digital Storytelling
- Artwork Documentation and Digital Archival
- Finance & Operations
- Development, Fundraising & Donor Relations
- Grant Management
Candidates should be able to commit 10-15 hours per week for a full semester or summer session (allowing for holidays, doctor visits, etc.). Days/times are flexible with intern’s schedule. Internship hours may occur in or out of the office.
Interns report directly to a departmental supervisor and interact regularly with the internship coordinator, who facilitates intern onboarding and biweekly professional development seminars. Both the area supervisor and internship coordinator work closely with the intern to ensure that assigned responsibilities fit the intern’s desired learning outcomes; the goal is for interns to come away from the internship with more confidence, relevant experience, and preparedness as they enter the arts administration workforce. Interns and area supervisors meet at least once a week to receive assignments and discuss progress, the whole intern cohort meets with the internship coordinator at least biweekly for seminars and to monitor progress.
Interns gain experience and understanding of general arts and nonprofit administration. They receive an understanding of the role public art plays in community building and economic development. Interns are involved with frontline administrative coordination of stakeholders and artists. Interns gain comprehension of event coordination, along with practical skills in workplace functions and gallery curating. Interns gain a wider arts network in Lexington from interactions at staff meetings, with other interns, board members, committee members, artists, grantees, nonprofit leaders, and more.
Selected interns will receive a stipend of $1,000 at the end of their internship and college credit is available to applicants enrolled at a university or college.
Professional Development Seminars
LexArts interns get to learn from a strong network of community partners in biweekly professional development seminars. These seminars address the intersections of arts administration, community development, and career planning.
Past seminars have included
- Nonprofit Board Governance and Community Relations (Spring and Summer 2021: Yajaira Aich West, VP of Community Relations PNC Bank and LexArts Board Member, Ame Sweetall, Pres/CEO of LexArts)
- Addressing Implicit Bias in Organizations, Importance of DEI in Arts (Summer 2021: Bill Wilson, Retired Deputy Executive Director at Kentucky Educational Television)
- Job Searching and Resume Writing in the Arts (Summer 2021: Alyssa Bustle, Kentucky Career Center)
- The Economic Impact of the Arts (Summer 2021: Bob Quick, Pres of Commerce Lexington and 2021 LexArts Campaign for the Arts Co-Chair, Julie Quick, visual artist and 2021 LexArts Campaign for the Arts Co-Chair)
- Boundary-Setting and Professionalism in the Arts Workplace (Spring, Summer, and Fall 2021: McKenzie Shelton, Americorps VISTA at LexArts)
- Interaction of Public Art with Urban and Civic Spaces (Summer 2021: Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova, public artists and educators at Transylvania University)
Important Dates and How to Apply
The application deadline for the fall is typically mid-July. For summer interns, the deadline is typically mid-April. For spring interns, the deadline is typically early December. Watch for specific dates on our social media channels (FB, IG, Tw).
Internship 2024/25 Deadline
- Fall: August 16th, 2024
- Spring: November 22nd, 2024
- Summer: April 18th, 2025
Applicants may submit for multiple internship positions but may only be appointed to one position at a time.
Please email questions to Kay’mon Murrah: firstname.lastname@example.org.