GENERAL INFORMATION

The Arts and Business Council of New York (ABC/NY) seeks not only the best talent, but also the best fit between an intern and a host organization. Your organization may be any size, discipline, or location in New York City. Your project may focus on any area of arts management. Matches between interns and host organizations are based on merits of your proposed project, and the talents and interests of intern applicants.

PROGRAM HISTORY

ABC/NY has been investing in its Diversity in Arts Leadership internship program for the 26 years. DIAL helps build a more diverse and inclusive arts management field. The program has placed 244 students who have contributed nearly 100,000 hours to 112 nonprofits during its lifetime. We welcome you in joining our legacy of leadership development.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The DIAL internship program was created to advance diversity in the arts management field and to build an interest in arts leadership in New York City, as well as to provide opportunities for students considering both arts and business careers to learn about the business of the arts.  Each summer, undergraduate students ftraditionally untapped for arts leadership are matched with host arts organizations in the five boroughs of New York City to complete challenging projects in areas such as marketing, public relations, fundraising, event management, audience development, and community outreach.

Arts organizations benefit from the experience in two significant ways:

  1. Interns complete valuable projects for their host arts organizations (“hosts”). The staff of host arts organizations consistently remark upon the interns’ talent and work ethic; they also report on the enormous value of the work the interns complete. Many of the projects that interns undertake advance key organizational needs and provide the staff with greater capacity to achieve their goals.
  2. Hosts participate in the personal and career development of young leaders who reflect and represent a diverse society. Nearly half of the alumni of the Diversity in Arts Leadership internship program pursue full-time careers in the arts. Hosts have the opportunity to guide interns while providing them with hands-on job experience and an introduction to numerous contacts and career opportunities. Interns who pursue careers in business will have developed an appreciation for the arts and may continue to support the arts through patronage, fiscal support, mentorship, volunteerism, and board service.

This program, which brings together participants from the arts and business sectors, facilitates arts-business partnerships through leadership development. Each intern gains valuable on-the-job training, learning opportunities, and networking specific to both the nonprofit arts sector and the business side of the arts.

MENTORING

One of the strengths of the program is its dual mentorship component, providing interns with both an arts and a business mentor. Usually, the intern’s supervisor serves as his/her arts mentor and is expected to provide guidance not only on the project to be completed but also on the field of arts management in general. Business mentors are volunteers representing a variety of careers and backgrounds who meet regularly with their interns to guide and advise them throughout the internship. Business mentors provide an insight into the private sector, often providing workplace tours and networking opportunities, and demonstrate the many ways that individuals from the business sector can support the arts. Interns are required to be in contact with their mentor atleast once per week however, communicating or meeting up with their business mentors should not impact their working schedule.

SCHEDULE

The 2018 program dates are Monday, June 4 to Thursday, August 9, 2018. All interns work Monday-Friday, full time, for ten weeks at their respective arts organizations. Specific daily work schedules will be set by individual host organizations. Although some evening and/or weekend hours may be arranged, those should not be part of the intern’s regular work schedule. Interns must be free to attend scheduled program events (see Additional Activities below), which occur approximately twice per week, usually in the late afternoon/early evening.

Prospective applicants should note that the program time commitment can be significant. Interns must be available to attend all site visits and program events, which will take place an average of twice per week. ABC/NY will give hosts advance notice about these activities.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Opening and Closing Ceremonies

All interns and their host organization supervisors are required to participate in an opening ceremony and breakfast at the start of the program (Monday, June 4, 2018) and a closing ceremony/dinner at the end (Thursday, August 9, 2018).

Site Visits

During the internship program, interns attend site visits to all participating host organizations to learn more about the work of their peers and experience the mission, programming, and infrastructure of a broader cross-section of New York City arts organizations. Site visits may take the form of tours, performances, workshops, panel discussions with staff, or whatever the intern and host organization feel best conveys the mission and work of that organization. Each intern is responsible for planning and hosting his/her own site visit in collaboration with his/her supervisor. The site visits usually take place on weekday afternoons, but some may take place during evening hours.

Professional Development and Cultural Experiences

ABC/NY also provides interns with seminars and workshops on career-related topics, as well as other immersive cultural activities. Interns are required to participate in these activities, which usually occur in the early evenings. Interns also are encouraged to independently arrange their own outings outside of work to enhance their learning experiences.

EVALUATIONS

Host organization supervisors will be expected to meet regularly with interns to define, review, and evaluate project and personal goals. Supervisors are highly encouraged to provide substantive and constructive feedback throughout the internship period. Additionally, host organizations, interns, and mentors will each be required to complete midpoint check in with the program coordinator and final evaluation surveys distributed by ABC/NY to assess the program.

STIPENDS

Each intern will receive a stipend of $3,200, based on a full-time work schedule for the duration of the program’s ten weeks. ABC/NY will provide each host arts organization with $1,950 toward its intern’s stipend; the host is responsible for the remaining $1,250. It is the responsibility of the host organization to treat the intern as a full-time paid employee. The intern will be subjected to the same personnel policies as the organization’s staff. Individual work and payment schedules will be determined by the host and communicated to the intern prior to the start of the program. ABC/NY will also provide each intern with an allotment of MTA MetroCards to allow unlimited travel on NYC subways and buses for the duration of the program.

STATEMENTS & POLICIES

Arts and Business Council of New York is a division of Americans for the Arts and upholds the following policies and will hold arts hosts to the same standards:

Statement on Cultural Equity

To support a full creative life for all, Americans for the Arts commits to championing policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, equitable nation.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act

Americans for the Arts will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability so that they can perform the essential functions of a job, with or without an accommodation, unless doing so causes a direct threat to these individuals or others in the workplace and the threat cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation, and/or if the accommodation creates an undue hardship to Americans for the Arts. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.

Workplace Harassment

Americans for the Arts is committed to providing a work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment. Actions, words, jokes, or comments based on an individual's sex, race, color, national origin, age, religion, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, genetic predisposition, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic will not be tolerated. Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

HOST REQUIREMENTS AND ELIGIBILITY

To host an intern, applicants must fulfill the following criteria:

  • Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization;
  • Have a minimum of two full-time staff members.

Successful candidates also should be able to demonstrate:

  • a commitment to cultural equity in the arts;
  • a proposed arts management project that is challenging and substantive, and not only clerical in nature;
  • a positive and supportive working and learning environment.
REVIEW PROCESS

ABC/NY selects both student and arts organization participants through a competitive application, screening, and selection process. ABC/NY matches students with host organizations based on students’ interests and related experience/skills as they relate to the host organizations’ proposed projects. A key feature of this program is ABC/NY’s requirement that you propose atleast two challenging and substantive projects. Prospective host organizations are required to submit a detailed description of a proposed projects that will afford students hands-on and high-caliber exposure to the business of the arts.

Host organizations, representing a diverse cross-section of the New York City nonprofit arts community, are selected based upon the scope of their projects and the existence of a supportive environment in which the intern can gain experience in arts management. Individual organizations and projects will vary each year. See a list of past host arts organizations and details on past intern projects.

Priority will be given to those arts organizations submitting an aplication by the January 21 deadline. All other applications will be reviewed and given consideration on a rolling basis. Applicants will receive an e-mail confirming receipt of a completed application packet. Applicants selected for an interview will be notified (either via phone or e-mail) about scheduling an interview with ABC/NY staff, if necessary. Interviews may take place at arts organizations to allow for a preliminary site visit and assessment of the applicant as potential host. All applicants will be notified, in writing, of the status of their application to the program.

2018 PROGRAM TIMELINE FOR HOSTS
  • Priority Application Deadline
  • Final Application Deadline
  •    Applications received after the final
  •    deadline will be considered on a rolling basis.
  • Student Intern Application Deadline
  • Arts Host Supervisor Interviews
  • Arts Organization Informed of Status
  • Arts Host Supervisor Orientation
  • Program
  • January 21, 2018
  • January 28, 2018
  •  
  •  
  • February 4, 2018
  • no later than March 24, 2018
  • no later than March 31, 2018
  • no later than May 18, 2018
  • June 4 – August 9, 2018
QUESTIONS?

E-mail Emma Osore at [email protected].