ABOUT ART SCHOOL AFRICA
Art School Africa, a registered non-profit organization, is committed to empowering individuals in navigating the dynamic art industry across South Africa and the broader African landscape. Our mission is to equip art practitioners, spanning artists, curators, academics, collectors, and more, with the practical skills and business acumen essential for building and maintaining sustainable careers in the arts.
In collaboration with the Harvard University Center for African Studies, we engage in continuous research to pinpoint crucial challenges and skill gaps within the local art community. Building upon our research insights, Art School Africa offers a range of knowledge shares, workshops, interviews, and panel discussions led by accomplished art professionals from Africa and its diaspora. These sessions form part of our growing online knowledge archive centered around art practice on the continent.
Beyond educational offerings, Art School Africa is nurturing a growing community through various networking opportunities and serves as a central hub for discovering new opportunities in the arts, including scholarships, employment, and funding avenues. Our overarching goals are to empower our audience, highlight art as a viable career path, cultivate a heightened appreciation for art within the local community, and sustain the careers of individuals in the arts by offering not just education but also practical avenues for growth and success.
INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW: RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INTERN
As a Research and Community Engagement Intern at Art School Africa, you will play a vital role in expanding our platform's impact across Africa and enhancing our existing offering to ensure it meets the needs of our current and future audience.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Improve our existing surveys and sets of interview questions.
- Identify key challenges and skill gaps amongst local art practitioners using these surveys and interview questions, and attending art events.
- Gather feedback on the existing product, and gain a good understanding of the user experience.
- Explore alternative methods for obtaining valuable information.
- Develop and implement community engagement initiatives, including online forums and virtual meetups.
- Utilize data analytics tools to derive insights from collected data.
- Create visually appealing data visualisations for effective communication of key findings.
- Compile an annual research report.
- Provide content for social media platforms (images of on-the-ground research taking place, visits to art museums etc.)
- Contribute towards the growth of our community.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The interns will be required to do half of their internship in Cape Town, South Africa, working closely with the founder, Julia Buchanan Swart. We work from a shared office space in the city center. The other half of the internship will be completed in either Kampala, Uganda, or Marrakech, Morocco, with regular check-ins with the founder. Interns are expected to commit a minimum of 8 hours of work each day, following a hybrid format. This will entail interns spending some of the time working from the office, and other time visiting various art organisations/ events conducting on-the-ground research.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
- Applicant must be a continuing undergraduate student enrolled at Harvard College.
- The program requires an eight-week commitment starting Monday, May 27 and lasting until Friday, July 19, 2024.
- Students in all concentrations are encouraged to apply.
- Ideal students for Art School Africa are self-starters, sensitive to cultural differences, interested in Africa and/or African Studies, team-players, enthusiastic, and outgoing. Interns must have a passion for the arts and a commitment to supporting the African art community. Strong research, analytical, and communication skills are required. Proficiency in digital marketing and content creation would be beneficial.
- All applicants must have a valid passport with an expiration date of at least 6 months beyond August 2023. If an applicant does not have a valid passport, they must upload a confirmation that their passport application is in-progress.
APPLICATION:
Applications for Summer 2024 are due February 25th at 11:59pm.
- Harvard CARAT Application
- Current resume/CV
- Current unofficial transcript
- Personal Statement about your interest in the program (500 words)
- Two letters of recommendation: one letter from a Harvard affiliate and one character reference from a supervisor, teacher, coach, or counselor who has known you for more than two years. Recommendations should be uploaded in CARAT by the recommender or emailed directly to lmoats@fas.harvard.edu by the application deadline.
- Applicants who make it to the second round will be invited for an interview after the application deadline. Reach out to Lindsay Moats at lmoats@fas.harvard.edu with any clarity seeking questions.