Ashlyn Bowen

Major: Studio Fine Arts and Technology

Summer Intern, The Lubenik Center for the Arts

1.) How did you learn about this internship opportunity?

I have been artistically involved with the Lubeznik Center from a young age through participation in multiple youth artist exhibitions as well as their Teen Arts Council. I didn’t actually know that they would have any internship opportunities for me until I scheduled an appointment to meet with the executive director over winter break and simply asked her for one. It was then that I learned that they hire unpaid interns every summer to help out with all their summer exhibitions and events. After I sent her my resume, she hired me on the spot and we worked out a date for me to start in the summer!

2.) How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals?

This internship has been one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had in terms of learning new skills that could/will apply to my future career. Some experiences I’ve had so far include…

Helping curate and hang artwork for a regional youth artist exhibition (LOK foundation YAE) and spoke as an alumni at its opening event
Served as a photographer at the Art Bash Gala fundraising event
Taking my first steps into art education by writing out children’s digital photography curriculums and then utilizing them to teach weekly lessons
Will soon be painting a mural with other LCA staff and Michigan City community members… and more!

3.) How do you apply your Liberal Arts skills to your internship?

From some of the smallest tasks (like typing and printing out name tags for youth artists) to the bigger ones (hanging exhibitions and teaching digital photography to young children), everything that I do through the Lubeznik Center is teaching me more and more about how certain aspects of the art world operate. I’m learning more about which things I like to do, and which ones I might not enjoy so much. Because of my background in fine arts, I have enough knowledge to be of use to the center while also learning new things every day that I work. For example, my knowledge in photography allowed me the confidence to step forward and take the opportunity to teach young children the fundamentals of digital photography weekly; however, I have no previous experience in art education. So, I am able to provide value through what I DO know while also immersing myself in an environment that is teaching me many new things.

4.) What is a piece of advice you would give someone looking for an internship?

My biggest piece of advice to someone in my major looking for an internship would be to “just go ask for one!” I had no idea that the Lubeznik Center would have a position for me, yet I reached out to them and asked, and here I am with a summer internship that is providing me with countless valuable new experiences.

Another important piece of advice from me would be to make a real effort to “build connections with people,” especially those in higher up positions. Networking is one of the most crucial things to do for someone in the arts, and it’s often those who have already built relationships with people who receive the chance to work with them. Because I had already built a relationship with the Lubeznik Center, they had an existing knowledge of my work ethic and passion for the kind of work they’re doing, which helped me find my position with them. Building relationships with people in places where you want to go and expressing your passion for your work is so important because if you don’t, other people will.