Case study: Technical Internship in 2017
Tony led on the install of Sam Belinfante's exhibition for Coventry Artspace in 2018
During Coventry Biennial 2017 we were joined by 5 brilliant interns from universities across the UK. We are now recruiting for 5 interns to join us for our 2019 festival with a requirement that the applicants are studying at a West Midlands institution.
In 2017, Tony McClure had just graduated from the BA (Hons) Fine Art programme in Birmingham and he had a clear focus on wanting to develop technical skills during his time with us so that he might be able to find work as a gallery technician in the future.
We’ve recently chatted to Tony to see how the internship has benefited him over the past 2 years, he explains:
University was set at my own pace, the internship gave me the ability to learn through real world experience
Receiving informal training and mentoring from experienced professionals enabled me to improve and refine my skills. The internship taught me professionalism, imbuing a work ethic I carry forward as a technician
He continues:
The internship has opened doors for me. The skills, networks and experiences I gained have allowed me to continue working steadily for the last two years as a technician at venues including museums in Birmingham and Leamington Spa and for other organisations including Positive Youth Foundation and Spon Spun
Tony also explains that there were other, more social, benefits to the internship too:
My most positive memory is of the team I worked with, my mentors and fellow interns, we had fun along the way and many great discussions, learning together and from each other
He concludes:
It was an amazing learning curve and on reflection, I had to experience it to understand the full benefit of what an internship can offer
If your interested in applying for a 2019 internship with us, you have until the 13th May to apply and you can find out more here.
by Ryan Hughes