Paid Fabrication Internship at 37ECB: Creative Pathways to Creative Careers Part 1
One project that we’re very excited about here at ARTS connects two of our programs and creates a pathway to creative careers for the young artists we work with. We’re excited to share some news with you about the Fabrication Internship at our partnership site, 37ECB, which joins ARTS 4 Justice and ARTS @ Work in an innovative way to showcase community, design thinking, and professional development opportunities.
Our ARTS 4 Justice Coordinator, Amanda Castro, recaps Part 1 of this paid fabrication internship as we prepare for the second phase during the upcoming fall session.
Over the Spring and Summer sessions, ARTS in partnership with SDCOE and Artist & Exile, the ARTS 4 Justice / ARTS @ Work program launched a paid internship at our partnership site 37ECB. During the internship, students will work together to plan, design, and install an outdoor fabrication project complete with public-facing murals and a signage metal sign noting the name of the school. As paid interns, the four students spent time with the ARTS 4 Justice Program Coordinator, Amanda Castro, and the ARTS People & Culture Coordinator, Monica Bañuelos, completing the onboarding process to become paid members at ARTS.
Working together with four interns and Teaching Artists, Ross and Alma from Artist & Exile, the project began with the interns spending time ideating about the project and reflecting on the values of their school and community. The group took a tour of the businesses and architecture surrounding their school to gain perspective on what kinds of signs and designs they might find in their community that could inspire their school’s design. Following the tour, they worked together to find fonts and other design elements they felt spoke to their experience at the school. The interns continued their efforts through surveying the school’s teachers, administrative staff, and students to ensure the overall design reflected the community as a whole. The students visited the ARTS Center’s Makers Space to create mock-ups of the design to present to stakeholders at 37 ECB. With some preparation from Ross, Alma, and Amanda, the students presented their design ideas to 3 groups of stakeholders and received feedback from the community.
In addition to their work on the fabrication project, the Interns also participated in a professional development opportunity by attending a Resume-Building workshop created by Amanda and Monica. Through this opportunity, they learned how to build a resume, tailor it to the job they are seeking, and learn tips and tools for how to search for and apply to job openings.
The internship will continue into its second phase during the Fall Session, during which the interns will spend time in the ARTS Center’s Makers Space fabricating and then installing the sign and murals at 37ECB.
Impactful projects like these emphasize the importance of lifting young people to become confident, compassionate, and courageous community builders through the transformative power of creativity. And with the help of our partners, this creativity branches infinitely into future creative careers for the youth. Stay tuned for our upcoming fall session update when the Fabrication Interns begin to build out their ideas to create permanent and inspiring fixtures in their community!