Internships are an invaluable experience practically, technically, and
artistically.
Through an internship, you gain real-world experience,
learning the ins and outs of a profession in your chosen field of interest
and what kind of art is in demand in contemporary markets.
The technical
skills you utilize – whether a new computer design program, painting
technique, or networking skill – will enhance your employability
as a professional artist well before you graduate. Plus, internships
give you a chance to be inspired by seeing what kind of art successful,
professional artists are making today in the Memphis market and beyond.
With over 70 approved sites in Memphis alone, you have many opportunities
to find the career that’s right for you. Plus, it’s really
easy to get sites approved outside of Memphis, from New York, to London;
to Hong Kong ! So if you know you’re not planning on staying in
Memphis after graduation, we really recommend doing a summer internship
in the city you’d think you’d like to be so you can start
building those professional connections and learning those markets
before you leave the halls of MCA.
To discuss specific internship sites
and the benefits of the Internship Program further, or to get a site
approved, visit the Director of Career Services in the Career Center.
If you already have a site in mind, begin the application process with
the Registrar.
Internships Purpose and Guidelines
Internships provide the opportunity to MCA students to work in art related jobs for which they may earn credit toward the BFA degree. It is an opportunity for students to gain real life experience in a professional environment while still attending school.
- Internships are available to students in good standing in at least their fifth semester (first semester Junior) with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
- The credit value for internships is the same as that for formal classes
with one (1) academic hour awarded per thirty (30) hours of work at the
internship site.
(i.e. 1 academic hour = 30-59 hours of work, 2 academic
hours = 60-89 hours of work, a full 3 academic hours = 90+ hours of work).
A student may not earn more than three internship credits in any one
semester and not more than six toward the BFA degree.
- Grading for internships will be done by the faculty sponsor upon review of the Internship Provider’s Evaluation of the Intern. Students will receive either a Pass or Fail grade.
- All internship sites musts be approved through the office of Career Services and Division Chairs.
- The Registrar oversees and processes each individuals’ application and registration for the Internship Program. Individual faculty sponsors approve undergraduate internships on a per request basis. The Office of Graduate Studies arranges graduate internships.
- All paperwork must be completed and turned in to the Registrar prior to the internship semester.
We know you’re a busy student and making the time to do independent research on all things career-related is not always on the top of your priority list. With this in mind, through the Department of Career Services we offer workshops every month on the essential things you need to know to get your career plans jumpstarted. At just an hour long and usually held during lunch, these sessions fit perfectly into your active academic schedule. Heck, you can even bring your lunch, so you have no excuse NOT to be there. Check out the listing of workshops offered below. iCal provide details of date, location, and any additional workshop guest-leaders.
Graduate School Workshop:
Wondering if you need to go to graduate school for an MFA? Don’t know how to choose an MFA program? Wondering what to include in your portfolio? Can’t decide where to start when it comes to applying for an MFA? All these questions and more will be covered in MCA’s Graduate School Workshop. All are welcome, so bring your lunch and munch while you listen to the whys and ways to go about finding your ideal Graduate Program. Howard Paine (Director or MCA’s Graduate School) and Gadsby Creson (Director of Career Services) will give a presentation on how simplify the seemingly-complex process of choosing a Graduate School. If you’re ready to apply, or are just wondering what an MFA is all about, don’t miss this excellent hour of information.
Networking Workshop:
Networking: you’ll hear this word a lot if you come to any Career Services events, but what exactly does it mean? The Networking Workshop is your chance to find out! We’ll talk about what a network is, how to find one for yourself, the professional tools and local resources at hand, and much more. This workshop is essential for all artists, particularly Fine Artists, looking to make it in any art market today.
Calls for Entry Workshop:
You hear about calls for entry all the time, but why are they so important
?
Calls for entries, proposals, and contests are excellent ways to get
your work and your name out in the professional art world. Judges and
curators for most events are usually top curators, gallery owners,
critics, and artists themselves – so get in their orbit by putting your
work out there. This workshop will not only cover the importance of these
opportunities, but also how to choose which events to enter, how to find
events, and the proper way of presenting your work or ideas to judges
or a committee. Don’t miss it.
Resume Workshop:
Having a killer resume is the key to getting your foot in the door no matter where you want to work. This workshop is designed specifically to cover all types of resumes for all disciplines (if you’re looking for a Fine Art resume and Artist Statement critique, check out the Fine Art Resume Workshop). We’ll cover resume basics, like format, style, and basic dos and don’ts, on up to personalizing your resume so that your individual strengths shine through. And cover letters? Don’t worry, we’ll get to those too. What’s more, we won’t just talk about writing your resume, you’ll actually leave the workshop with one in your hand because this session is held in the computer lab. Plus, when you’ve finished, you can set up an appointment that day to have an individual resume and cover letter critique with the Director of Career Services. Not bad for an hour’s work, eh?
Portfolio Workshop:
Just as important as the resume, the portfolio is the artist’s ticket into the competitive, professional art world. This workshop will cover portfolio composition, preparation, and presentation, including alternative medias and their pros and cons (i.e. slides versus digital images, paper copies, etc.). Not only will we cover the technical aspects of your portfolio, we’ll teach you how to talk about the work within it by seeing professional Memphis artists present their own working portfolios. This is a workshop you can’t afford to miss.
Fine Art Resume and Artist Statement Workshop:
A good fine art resume contains some key differences from your everyday, business-oriented resume. In this workshop, we’ll cover exactly the hows and whys of making your fine art resume truly stellar. Plus, we’ll also talk about the all-important artist statement. We know that getting your ideas about your own work can be one of the most difficult things to put on paper, so this session will also go over how to do just that, concisely, fluidly, beautifully, and with impact. Every artist needs a fine art resume and artist statement – so don’t wait to get started on yours.
Interviewing Workshop:
Ask anyone, from artist to law student to sales rep. – the interview can be one of the most intimidating aspects of the entire job hunting process, but it doesn’t have to be! In this workshop, we will talk about everything from answering those hard questions (So tell me a bit about yourself.), topics you should avoid, how to spin answers to make you the shining star of the interview, to handling salary negotiations. We’ll also cover body language, appropriate attire, the importance of researching the company or business you’re interviewing with, the rules of basic interview etiquitte, and just some general tips (like fill your gas tank and plan your driving route the day before) so that your first interview experience, and everyone after it, will be no sweat.
This single day event, held every April, is perhaps the most important Career Services event any student could attend. Why? If you’re looking for a job – full time, part time, freelance, or internship – you can interview on the spot, meet representatives of companies and businesses where you’d like to work, and do a little self-promotion all at one place in one time. Even if you’re not looking for a job, this event is an excellent one to attend because it will give you both great interview experience and insight into the contemporary job market: what kinds of companies are hiring? What kind of skills and qualities are they looking for in their employees? What are the trends in the current art markets? Businesses from all spectrums of the art world attend: from galleries and museums, to graphic design firms and ad agencies, to individual fine artists looking for studio assistants with everything in between. This event is not to be missed, even if you’re a freshman or sophomore, or not currently looking for a job because the better you understand the job market, the better prepared you’ll be when you’re ready to enter it.
This class examines methods for assembling a portfolio for specific applications, writing and designing a resume and interviewing with prospective employers, clients or galleries. Business procedures, artist resources and job-hunting skills are discussed.
Bring your resume by the Career Center (no appointment needed) for a quick look-over and see what you can do to make your resume truly stellar. If you have no clue where to begin, make an appointment and you and the Director of Career Services can work together, step-by-step, on the full realization of your resume and/or cover letter. The computer kiosk in the Career Center is exclusively for students who want to write their resume or cover letter, or do a full job search, with assistance from the Director of Career Services.
Take an hour on a Saturday and come listen to a panel featuring MCA alumni from all major concentrations discuss how to get an art career started. The panelists cover everything from what it’s like to be a professional artist working in Memphis, how they found their own career path, what they would recommend you do while you’re still in school, and much, much more. And just in case you have a question you’re dying to have answered, don’t worry - the panel discussion is followed by a question and answer session. So raise that hand and get 5 or 6 opinions and feedback at one place at one time. Everyone is welcome, so be sure not to miss Careers in Art Day this year.
They’ve been where you are if you’re about to graduate from MCA, so let them help show you the ropes. As a student in your last semester at MCA, you’ll be matched with a mentor who is also an MCA alumnus/a in your area of concentration. Your mentor is there to offer guidance and advice about becoming a professional artist. And the terms of the relationship are up to you, the student. It can be as casual as a few emails here and there for particular questions, on up to actually shadowing your mentor in his or her office/studio. Your mentor is more than just a sounding board-–they can be the beginning to your professional network as a working artist. Remember, your mentor may be 5, 10, 15, sometimes 20 years into his or her career after graduating from MCA, so they know the ins and outs of being a successful artist–from what to do to whom to know. So don’t hesitate to use all the resources that your mentor has to offer.
Ask anyone, from artist to law student to sales rep.-–the interview can be one of the most intimidating aspects of the entire job hunting process, but it doesn’t have to be! Making an appointment for an Interview Practice Session is the first step to alleviating that stress. In the practice session, you will have a real mock interview with the Director of Career Services, so you can experience what it’s like to be put in the spotlight. Each session is video recorded for a post-interview review and analysis of your body language, the answers to your questions, and the general impression you make on a potential employer. You can see for yourself how you come across in an interview situation so that you can learn how you can improve and practice until you get it right!
Not sure of where your college experience is taking you? Want to know what markets and skills are in demand? Haven’t clues as how to go about looking for a job? Don’t know what classes will best enhance your capacity for success? get those answers and more from the Director of Career Services.
As a service to all our graduating seniors, we make portfolio shoot sessions available at a discounted price in the semester in which you graduate. A well-trained photographer assists you in the lighting and selection of pieces for your portfolio, so that upon graduation, you have a professional, quality portfolio to present to your potential employers.