A Spring Semester Internship and Program of Study in New York City

Welcome to Art New York and the learning experience of a lifetime! We are very happy that you are considering this internship program that is exclusive to the University of Rochester. Art New York immerses you in the stimulating art environment of New York City--the global hub of the contemporary art scene and a major center for the exhibition, conservation, and trade in art works. You will have the opportunity to experience New York's rich and varied cultural life while pursuing a combination of classroom learning and hands-on experience. Participation in the program will enrich your understanding of the operation of the art world, and offer an insight into further study and career opportunities. Integral to the Department of Art and Art History's belief in the marriage of theory and practice, the program offers an exciting opportunity for career development to prospective artists, art historians, museum and gallery professionals, and curators, those who envisage a career in art journalism, arts administration and management, advertising, or those who simply wish to gain an insider's perspective on the art world.

The New York Art World

Thousands of art professionals live and work in New York City. New York is home to world-renowned museums--the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Guggenheim Museum--as well as smaller, more specialized museums such as the International Center for Photography, the Jewish Museum, el Museo del Barrio, and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design. Hundreds of commercial galleries showing contemporary art are spread through three major Manhattan art districts--Soho, Chelsea, and the Mid- and Uptown galleries along 57th Street and Madison Avenue. In addition, there are the more experimental non-profit art institutions, such as the Dia Center for the Arts in Chelsea, the New Museum of Contemporary Art and Artists Space in Soho, and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, one of the largest contemporary art exhibition spaces in the world. Of course, New York is also where you'll find the best in contemporary culture--performance art, dance, music, theater, architecture and design.

The Program

Academic excellence is the hallmark of the Art New York Program, and we will work closely with you to help you reach your academic, personal, and professional goals. The Program, which combines an internship with a colloquium and elective courses, is administered by the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Rochester through a residential coordinator in New York City. It is offered to all qualified sophomore, junior and senior students interested in learning about how art gets made, how it reaches the public, and the process of its interpretation and display. Students will receive a total of sixteen credits for their Art New York semester--eight for the internship and four each for the colloquium and elective course. The Art New York semester constitutes a cluster in the humanities.

Internship (Eight credits)

Each student will intern in an institution approved by the Art and Art History faculty. The purpose of the internship is to give students an insider's view of the workings of the art world. Internships will seek to make use of students' particular abilities, such as a foreign language or computer skills. At the same time, students will learn how individual art institutions go about their day-to-day business, and about the functioning of the art world more generally. Students will document their work as a part of the learning experience, and as a means of evaluation. Internships are available at a number of leading commercial and non-profit galleries, including the Sperone Westwater Gallery, the Dia Center for the Arts, and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center. Internships will consist of twenty-five hours per week.

Colloquium (Four credits)

As an integral part of the internship program, all students participating in Art New York will meet weekly at a colloquium directed by a University of Rochester faculty member. The purpose of the colloquium is to provide an intellectual framework for understanding the operations of the New York art world and to allow students to discuss their experiences in an academic context. The colloquium will provide students, through a structured series of discussions led by the colloquium director or another Rochester faculty member, with the opportunity to discuss their experiences with each other, and to understand how Art New York fits in with their academic and professional goals. Students will receive advice on exhibitions to visit, be assigned relevant readings, and expected to keep a written record of their experiences that will form part of the assessment package.

Academic Course (Four credits)

Students are required to take one other course during their semester in New York. The Program Director will inform students of available courses relevant to their interests; or, with the approval of the Program Director, courses can be arranged independently by students at New York City colleges and universities. For example, students may wish to pursue courses in museum studies, the history of collections, art writing or criticism. In addition, Art New York offers "New Media Culture and the Visual Arts" through the Eyebeam Atelier to students interested in the impact of the new digital media on contemporary art.

Housing

Accommodation is available at the St. George Residence in Brooklyn Heights, a charming historic neighborhood, just across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan. Students may, if they so wish, arrange accommodation independently.

Application

Students considering Art New York should click on the application link above to apply. Applicants will be asked to write a proposal outlining their reasons for wishing to participate in the Program and will be interviewed by the Director of the Art New York Program. Acceptance will be based on interview, the proposal, a recommender's letter of support and the student's academic record. Applications are due by March 15 for the following Spring semester on a first come, first served basis. Cap is 15 students.

Contact:

Art New York Program Director
Department of Art and Art History
424 Morey Hall, RC Box 270456
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627

Vox: (585) 275-9249
Fax: (585) 442-1692
Email: elizabeth.cohen@rochester.edu