Cultural Internships

Charlotte Ballet

As the region’s professional dance company, Charlotte Ballet is known for its strong dancers and versatile repertoire, ranging from classical ballets to bold, contemporary works.

Blumenthal Performing Arts

Presenting the largest Broadway season in the Carolinas, hosting more than 18 weeks of Broadway shows annually, along with a large array of special attractions and festivals, from concerts to comedy to dance.

Charlotte Symphony

The Charlotte Symphony uplifts, entertains, and educates the diverse communities of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and beyond through exceptional musical experiences.

Bechtler Museum of Art

The Bechtler Museum is dedicated to the celebration and analysis of the strongest aspects of mid-century modernism and is located in Uptown Charlotte.

CoA+A Graphic Design Intern

Located in the Storrs building, the College of Arts + Architecture communications office serves all five units: Architecture, Art & Art History, Dance, Music, and Theatre.

Theatre Charlotte

The Carolinas’ longest-running community theatre, Theatre Charlotte is dedicated to creating outstanding theatre opportunities that are accessible to the region.

Mint Museum of Art

The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative museum of international art and design committed to engaging and inspiring all members of our global community.

Charlotte Art League

Charlotte’s oldest nonprofit art gallery, CAL is located in NoDa and offers membership to emerging/professional artists, art educators, and art patrons.

McColl Center

This nationally acclaimed art center is located in a historic church in Uptown and houses nine studios and over 5,000 sq ft of gallery space.

Internships are a great way to enhance your education and facilitate professional development as you earn course credit toward your major in the Department of Art & Art History.

Offered by The University Career Center, the University Professional Internship Program (UPIP) can help you gain valuable professional experience in your field without leaving campus.

Jazmine was responsible for making floor plans for each gallery and creating layouts from art collections with the Head of Collections, Exhibitions Management, and Curator. She also assisted with basic gallery maintenance, helped with inventory, managed the records of all exhibitions, and suggested design choices.

“I learned more about the steps required for what art pieces are being placed on the floor and the process of approving layouts. There was a clear process for how pieces in inventory were placed into the exhibits with the approval of many curators and creative directors. What I enjoyed most about this internship was being able to improve my graphic design skills by working with a program that works in a 3d space and being able to make efficient and effective layouts.“

Jazmine Chance, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design ’25
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art’s Collection and Exhibitions Intern

Sam had many responsibilities at the McColl Center including: being a studio assistant for the Fall 2023 McColl artists in residence, managing and reorganizing all artistic supplies to better suit the needs of the organization, assisting in the planning of youth programs, and providing aid and help during workshops.

“Aside from the beautiful building of the McColl Center, my favorite part of the internship was the relationships I’ve had the honor of making with the people around me. The team is one of the kindest and most diligent teams I’ve had the pleasure of working with, including this season’s resident artists. I’ve made connections and friends I hope to keep for many years to come.

Sam Fine, Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Art Education ’25
Creative Team Intern at the McColl Center

“Every day on the job can be quite different from the last, from making event flyers to making employee files to contacting employees or other companies. My favorite task that I’ve worked on was making face masks for a Girl Scout event with the education department. I had to paint over a stencil to create the Wicked logo, and the masks were given to the girl scouts who attended an event that included a dance and an acting master class plus, they were able to see Wicked. It was a lot of fun getting to use my creative side at the job and see just how vast the opportunities are at Blumenthal.

I’ve learned a lot about HR, arts administration, and myself in this internship. I have enjoyed all of the opportunities I’ve experienced while on the job, but I’ve especially enjoyed the ones outside of the workday! For example, I got to see Wicked for free while it was here, which was absolutely amazing! I also have gotten tours of the various Blumenthal theaters, including backstage, which was quite the treat!”

Brooke Russo, BA in Theatre Education ’23
HR Intern at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center

“My primary duties consist of organizing and reviewing architectural drawings to store in the Mint Museum’s database. Some of my favorite tasks include meeting with my supervisor to decipher the drawings to create finding aids for the museum’s database. There’s just something about taking information and classifying it correctly that is so satisfying to me.

I’ve learned useful skills while at this internship, like learning how to read blueprints and how to store a museum’s collections into programs like Archivist’s Toolkit. What I’ve enjoyed most in my internship is the connection I’ve made with my supervisor and the internship coordinator, as well as having access to the Mint Museum’s collections of artwork. I really enjoy learning about the artistic processes and the history behind them. An exciting opportunity that I’ll be a part of is getting to interact with all of the departments in the Mint Museum, not just the Archives!”

Scotty Townsend, BFA in Graphic Design, ’23
Archives Intern with the Mint Museum

May worked alongside the Learning and Community Engagement team, as well as the Project Harmony, and Learning and Youth Orchestra Programs Coordinators. Her daily tasks included providing engagement of CSO musicians for education services, managing the education events calendar, and assisting in the CSO library for all musicians and the CSYO music library. She also collected assessment and evaluation data, attended on-site management of events, and facilitated logistics during Project Harmony and CSYO rehearsals and other performances. Additionally, she managed the CSO Education Website, created educational concert teacher guides, planned and administered Family Series pre-concert festivals, managed and updated the CSO education school contacts database, and assisted in the management of grant requirements for education programs and program promotion and documentation.

“This internship has allowed me to gain experience and knowledge in a professional environment, specifically in the music industry. It is also a great opportunity to give back to the community. Music is a catalyst for a stronger, more connected community. That belief is at the heart of the Charlotte Symphony, and every day they provide exceptional musical experiences that inspire their community, in addition to programs that create new pathways of opportunity, which was something that really resonated with me. Some of the Community Engagement programs they offer are Project Harmony (which is inspired by the revolutionary music-for-social-change organization, ‘El Sistema,’ which began in Venezuela in 1975), as well as the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras.”

“What I have enjoyed the most these few months has been the amazing people I have had the chance to meet and work alongside. It has been an extremely positive and encouraging experience to be a part of a team with such dedicated individuals. It is so refreshing to see people that genuinely care about each other and truly want to make a change in the world, especially through something as beautiful as music and art. I encourage everyone to go support Charlotte Symphony, especially their youth programs as they are such a pillar of community building through art in Charlotte.”

May Makhani Bahizad, Bachelor of Arts in Music and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in Data Science ’23
Learning and Community Engagement Intern at the Charlotte Symphony