Culture Corps: We connect local nonprofits and UM students for paid internships in arts and culture

By: Jessica Jenks
Source: Arts Initiative

Laura Scales, CEO Detroit Living Artshosted five University of Michigan students as part of a partnership with Cultural Corpsa University of Michigan Arts Initiative program that connects students with internships at arts and cultural organizations across Michigan.

Scales said the partnership has led to the launch of a new internal nine- to 10-month internship program at Living Arts. “Working with the Arts Initiative and the Culture Corps program has been easy and seamless. It’s great to fill out the application in February and then have interns over the summer.”

The goals of the Culture Corps program are to encourage arts and humanities students to pursue careers in their chosen fields; to provide opportunities for students who are unsure how to pursue careers in the arts and culture; and to support the region’s vibrant arts ecosystem by sponsoring paid student internships.

Culture Corps prepares interns through an Arts Initiative mini-course before placing them with one of 20 host organizations for the summer. Equitable pay and transportation reimbursement are designed to make the program inclusive and accessible to all UM students, and even some area community college students through the Transfer Bridges program.

Internship partners include the Detroit Public Theatre, InsideOut Literary Arts, the Arab American National Museum, the Detroit Opera, and many other institutions in Metro Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Grand Rapids.

Living Arts Detroit, a nonprofit organization based in southwest Detroit, provides arts experiences and arts-integrated education to youth ages 3 months to 18 years. Programs include artist residencies, dance classes, an animation studio and after-school programs.

Scales emphasized the diverse experiences offered at Living Arts, allowing interns to explore the day-to-day aspects of a nonprofit, from program management to behind-the-scenes administrative work and budgeting. “Everybody’s rolled up and immersed,” she said. “They’re U of M students, so of course they’re all beautifully curious and come in eager and ready to learn.”

The quality of the interns continues to impress Scales. “We’ve had five now, and they’ve all been just as amazing as the last one,” she said. “They’re really excited to learn more about the process, which isn’t always the case with every intern we take on.”

Ron Burgaj, a UM law student and administrative intern for Living Arts Detroit, called the Culture Corps program, “A hidden gem at the U of M” and said he “would like to see more programs like this at UM that offer students a real educational experience.”

The program was launched after a 2021 research phase supported by the Humanities Collaboratory Equity Initiative that explored best practices for mutually beneficial internship models, quality student experiences, and ways to build connections with arts institutions working to diversify their staffs and teams. The program was then supported by a generous gift from the Tisch family.

“It’s easy to forget that the arts offer Michiganders not only entertainment but also professional opportunities, with an economic impact measured in billions of dollars and more than 100,000 jobs,” said Arts Initiative Executive Director Mark Clague. “The UM Arts Initiative also contributes not only to the cultural enrichment of our campus and community, but also to the state’s economic goals and the career aspirations of our students.”

If you would like to become a donor or are a UM student interested in interning next summer, please contact Alison Rivett ((email protected)).

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