Queens Council on the Arts High School to Art School Student & Alumni Engagement Intern

Fall Semester 2021

Application deadline: 3 May 2021

About Queens Council on the Arts

The Queens Council on the Arts (QCA) is a nonprofit organization that supports and promotes the arts community in Queens and works to foster and develop the arts in Queens County and to support individual artists and arts organizations in presenting their cultural diversity for the benefit of the community. QCA believes that art is a basic human right for all peoples, and that when all artists thrive at the centrality of our communities, a full life is realized for all of us. QCA aspires to reflect the true diversity of the borough of Queens.

Background and Scope:

Queens Council on the Arts seeks a Fall 2021 High School to Art School (HS2AS) Student and Alumni Engagement Intern, to assist with the engagement of art-school bound students and program alumni. HS2AS is a free visual arts portfolio development program that provides qualified high school juniors and seniors with the visual arts skills training necessary to gain acceptance into competitive art colleges. Both a merit and need-based program, we serve a population underrepresented in the art world: our students are largely low-income and of color – often the first generation in their family to go to college. For more about the HS2AS, please click here; more information on our alumni can be found here.

While HS2AS has been successfully helping students get into the art schools of their dreams since 2004, there is an opportunity to further develop our knowledge of and services to our roster of alumni–now hundreds of emerging artists and cultural workers all over the country.

The HS2AS Student & Alumni Engagement Intern will:

  • Bolster the program’s understanding of who our alumni are and what they are doing now.
  • Further develop the HS2AS Alumni database, contacting program alumni to gather information on their art school experiences and creative careers.
  • Visualize information gathered into compelling info graphics and marketing assets to utilize for social media and fundraising (e.g. “What would a pie chart of HS2AS alumni college majors look like?”)
  • Tell the stories of art students and alumni, interviewing them to author articles and features to be shared on QCA’s blog and social media.
  • Plan alumni engagement events with the mentorship and guidance of the Program Manager, including reunions and peer critiques.
  • Help cultivate a cohort of program alumni who have expressed interest in serving as mentors for HS2AS students towards a new pilot mentorship program (funding pending).
  • Contribute ideas to improve programming and information management systems.
  • Liaise with HS2AS Program Manager and Development Coordinator, utilizing information gleaned to inform programming and development.

The HS2AS Intern will also have the opportunity to:

  • Attend QCA staff meetings as member of the team, and participate in informational interviews with organization’s staff and affiliates to expand professional network.
  • Observe High School to Art School Fall 2021-22 Classes and Field Trips to local arts institutions.
  • Serve as a guest speaker for the Fall 2021-22 HS2AS Class, giving a presentation to 21 art school-bound high school students on education, career path and advice.
  • Join a small, close-knit team in an open office environment, and attend additional events as needed.

Qualifications & Skills:

  • Passion for the arts, arts education, arts administration and/or nonprofit management.
  • Academic and/or professional background in fine arts, arts education, arts administration, business administration, or a related field.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills; highly organized and detail-oriented.
  • Interest in utilizing data as means to tell a story and support program development; professional or academic experience in data management and/or analysis a plus.
  • Computer and data management skills, including comfort with Excel and Microsoft Office Suites. Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite, or willingness to learn.

The HS2AS Student and Alumni Engagement Intern will report to QCA Program Manager Kelly Olshan. Feel free to direct any questions about this position to kolshan@queenscouncilarts.org, and read more about the QCA team here.

This internship is administered and funded through the PublicsLab at The Graduate Center, CUNY. The PublicsLab will compensate 150 hours of work with a $5000 stipend. Questions about compensation or the application process should be directed to PublicsLab Director Dr. Stacy Hartman at shartman2@gc.cuny.edu.

Apply by May 3rd through GC Connect, Position #16363.