Development Communications Intern
Background
ART WORKS Projects (AWP) is a Chicago and The Hague based nonprofit dedicated to advancing social justice and human rights through visual arts, primarily documentary photography and film.
Founded in 2006, our projects have been presented on five continents, in 35+ countries, with 225 partners, and in collaboration with more than 200 artists, to produce visual advocacy tools to build awareness, education, and action on human rights crises at the grassroots, media, and policy levels.
Development Communications Intern Overview
We are seeking an intern to support awareness building and fundraising efforts around the 10-year anniversary of our signature program, the Emerging Lens Fellowship. Partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, Emerging Lens supports early career documentary photographers across the globe in amplifying under-reported human rights stories exploring universal themes that connect us all.
As part of the year-long celebration, we will be hosting exhibition pop-ups, arts interventions, and photo workshops in collaboration with our past and current fellows. Interns will play a critical role in expanding AWP's audience reach and fundraising efforts in the form of a social media engagement strategy and marketing plan that helps to drive traffic and interest to support the Fellowship.
Responsibilities
Our Studio Institute intern will:
- Design a campaign strategy that supports the development and execution of fundraising activities including the creation of social media, marketing, and newsletter materials.
- Collaborate with AWP's Board members, curatorial fellows, along with additional graduate interns and freelance staff to identify opportunities for targeted social media campaigns and new donor strategies to scale AWP's new audience engagement.
- Drive fundraising efforts.
This will be a great opportunity for those interested in learning about how arts nonprofits run fundraising campaigns and the importance of having strong audience engagement and community outreach programs to create impact. Through this internship experience, interns will gain a range of critical skills and learning outcomes including:
- Effective campaign strategies in arts and cultural institutions require a solid grasp of the organization's mission to create impactful narratives.
- Key skills such as direct marketing, audience development, event setup, and operational competencies for career growth.
- Designing communication campaigns for initiatives like fellowships, understanding fundraising and advocacy communications, and working with diverse stakeholders.
- Experience in visual advocacy through pop-up and digital exhibitions; ethical storytelling is essential, particularly when addressing sensitive human rights issues.
Requirements, Qualifications, and Skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; Spanish and/or French proficiency is a plus.
- Experience in designing social media and marketing campaigns preferred.
- Familiarity with web-based design tools such as Canva and MyEmma; knowledge of graphic design software (e.g., Photoshop, InDesign) and video/sound editing is highly desirable.
- A passion for visual arts, particularly in documentary photography and film.
- An interest in human rights and social justice issues, committed to engaging in global matters.
- Ability to assist with exhibition installations and event setups and perform general administrative tasks as needed.
Compensation
$20.00 per hour
INTERNS WILL WORK 28 HOURS PER WEEK AND ATTEND A MANDATORY OFFSITE PROGRAM DAY ONE DAY PER WEEK WITH THEIR COHORT.
Internship Period: June 4 – August 7
Total Weeks: 9 weeks
Work Hours per Week: 28
Total Hours: 252
Workdays: 4 days per week, 9AM–5PM, with some expectation for intern to come earlier or stay later in the day to assist with special events, activations, board meetings and presentations that might require exceptional work hours. (Those dates will be shared with prospective interns prior to the start of their internship.)
PROGRAM DAY:
On Fridays, interns will attend an offsite program day with their cohort.
These hours are separate from the internship hours.
How to Apply:
This internship is through the Studio Institute Arts Intern program.
You must first apply to Arts Intern to be eligible for this internship. Once your application has been approved, we will provide you with the next steps to apply for the Development Communications Intern position at ART WORKS Projects.
Eligibility Criteria:
Please watch our information video below to ensure you are eligible to apply for Arts Intern.
Student Info Session- Arts Intern Summer 2025
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Arts Intern Summer 2025 - CHICAGO
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