My first internship was with ArtLab Maui. My mentor was Mrs. Tasha Compos, and I met with her once a week to discuss the upcoming weeks’ schedule, and payment pick up because it was a paid internship. The typical work day at ArtLab started at 8:30 a.m.. I would drop my personal belongings off, and help Mrs. Compos prep for the morning camp sessions. After prepping, I assisted with the check-in process, and directed the campers to their art stations. Most of the camps were for children ages 6-13, however one camp I worked was for ages 4-6. Once all the students had settled in, Mrs. Compos would start the morning off with an introductory slideshow, which introduced the project that the students would be working on that day. Once everyone was off and running, my job was to circulate the room, and assist whenever needed. My assistance was mainly needed if someone needed materials, was struggling with the project, or just needed an extra hand. For the last 30 minutes of my shift, I sanitized, and cleaned the room for the afternoon class, and by 12:30 p.m, I finished my shift.
When I started this internship, I set out to learn about different art forms, and what went into the process of creating them. My number one takeaway from this internship was that even simple things have lots of thought behind them. The first camp of the summer was a mixed media camp, where the students created a different project each day. One project was a collage that the students had to make using magazine clippings. The one that stood out to me was an image of a coffee mug. The girl who had created it chose a simple image, but had added different colors of paper to create designs in the coffee, and shadows on the background. The object in the picture was a simple item, but there was so much care and thought put into the project that the girl gave the collage to her father as a Father’s Day present.
My personal goal for my internship with ArtLab Maui was to learn about different art techniques, and ideas. I feel that I met that goal, as each week I assisted the students with different projects. During the mixed media camp, the students were creating a new project everyday, from collages to ugly dolls. During the next camp, the students were creating Alebrijes, spirit guides as seen in the movie Coco. In the camp for 4-6 year olds, the students created a black light painting of themselves as astronauts in space, and during the last camp, the students started creating their own stop motion movie. Each week, I was learning about a different art form, and it was always a treat to see the final results, as each student would put their own personal spin on the project.
The biggest challenge was working with unruly students. Most of the students would follow directions, but the younger children would become impatient with certain projects. The camp for 4-6 year olds was made up of four boys, and at least three of them would be running around the room, making noises, and touching supplies that were on shelves. I would tell them to sit back down, or to listen to what Mrs. Compos was saying, but that only worked for at least 10 minutes. It was frustrating, but they managed to pull their act together at the end of the day… as soon as they weren’t allowed sensory play.
The most valuable aspect of this experience was that it was similar to having a job. It taught me how to make the most of my shift, and how I could always be doing something to help out. I was responsible for inputting my hours into Clockify, which is like clocking in and out at work, and it determined if I would get the estimated amount of pay because if I didn’t enter my hours, I wouldn’t get paid for working that shift. This experience taught me how to be responsible for myself, as well as be my own advocate.
When I started this internship, I set out to learn about different art forms, and what went into the process of creating them. My number one takeaway from this internship was that even simple things have lots of thought behind them. The first camp of the summer was a mixed media camp, where the students created a different project each day. One project was a collage that the students had to make using magazine clippings. The one that stood out to me was an image of a coffee mug. The girl who had created it chose a simple image, but had added different colors of paper to create designs in the coffee, and shadows on the background. The object in the picture was a simple item, but there was so much care and thought put into the project that the girl gave the collage to her father as a Father’s Day present.
My personal goal for my internship with ArtLab Maui was to learn about different art techniques, and ideas. I feel that I met that goal, as each week I assisted the students with different projects. During the mixed media camp, the students were creating a new project everyday, from collages to ugly dolls. During the next camp, the students were creating Alebrijes, spirit guides as seen in the movie Coco. In the camp for 4-6 year olds, the students created a black light painting of themselves as astronauts in space, and during the last camp, the students started creating their own stop motion movie. Each week, I was learning about a different art form, and it was always a treat to see the final results, as each student would put their own personal spin on the project.
The biggest challenge was working with unruly students. Most of the students would follow directions, but the younger children would become impatient with certain projects. The camp for 4-6 year olds was made up of four boys, and at least three of them would be running around the room, making noises, and touching supplies that were on shelves. I would tell them to sit back down, or to listen to what Mrs. Compos was saying, but that only worked for at least 10 minutes. It was frustrating, but they managed to pull their act together at the end of the day… as soon as they weren’t allowed sensory play.
The most valuable aspect of this experience was that it was similar to having a job. It taught me how to make the most of my shift, and how I could always be doing something to help out. I was responsible for inputting my hours into Clockify, which is like clocking in and out at work, and it determined if I would get the estimated amount of pay because if I didn’t enter my hours, I wouldn’t get paid for working that shift. This experience taught me how to be responsible for myself, as well as be my own advocate.