I am going into my last year of undergraduate studies at 捆绑SM社区. I am completing a double major in Art History and Psychology. As an Art History student, I have had the opportunity to study a variety of art historical subjects and I have developed a keen interest in the visual culture of Canada. A lifelong Montrealer, I became particularly interested in Canadian artists, especially those belonging to marginalized groups. I was interested in completing an internship at the Woman鈥檚 Art Association of Canada because it represented the perfect opportunity for me to explore this topic further, while gaining tangible skills, learning about careers in Art History, and promoting local artists.
The Women鈥檚 Art Association of Canada is a charitable organization aimed at promoting art in all its forms in Toronto. Thanks to its members and patrons, WAAC supports local artists by organizing exhibitions, funding student scholarships, providing studio space and much more. When it was founded in 1887, the association aimed to offer an opportunity for women artists to come together and display their work, at a time when women were often excluded from academic artistic spaces. WAAC aims to support local Toronto artists of all backgrounds.
Within my capacity as an intern at WAAC, I was charged with promoting the organisation, its events and its member-artists. I, along with another intern, were charged with running the social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). I was also responsible for researching and designing a new website. This entailed overviewing the current website to determine strengths and weaknesses, researching software that would allow WAAC to meet their webpage needs, looking into website designs that best fit the association鈥檚 aesthetic, and focus group this with my supervisors and the tech team. I was also in charge of creating a new database used to catalogue the association鈥檚 permanent art collection. Further, I was charged with promoting our events and exhibitions by communication with the media by writing up press releases and other promotional materials. I partook in weekly board meetings with the team. Overall, I learned how museum professionals collaborate to plan and support the daily operations of a charitable art organization.
I very much enjoyed my time as an intern at WAAC. I learned a lot about Toronto鈥檚 art scene and about how to effectively market an art organization and its events. A highlight would be learning from my supervisors, collaborating with different team members and working alongside the other summer intern. Every member had their own unique skillset, so I was able to learn about a range of topics and to develop skills in many different areas.
After I graduate, I plan to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in a related field. This internship has therefore allowed me to gain valuable work experience and tangible curatorial and promotional skills. By working closely with the heads of curating, marketing and education, I was able to acquire skills that can only be taught in a practical and professional setting.
I am receiving course credit for my internship. Indeed, I am enrolled in ARTH 490 this fall. I received funds for this internship thanks to the Arts Student Employment Fund. I am incredibly grateful to the donors who allowed me to partake in this internship. It was an incredible learning opportunity that would not have been achievable without it. The funds allowed me to cover costs associated with the internship and to create a good home environment in which to complete my work remotely.
Adapting to working remotely certainly presented its challenges, but I did find ways to navigate this new work environment in order to remain productive. I would suggest maintaining a good morning routine involving a healthy breakfast and some downtime before jumping into work. I would start by setting a schedule or goals for the day. Taking walk breaks and getting fresh air throughout the day was also very helpful in remaining focused. I was living with roommates who were also working remotely, so working alongside other people was another good way of staying on track.
