CALA Alliance (Celebración Artística de las Américas) offers internships to emerging arts and culture leaders interested in Latinx arts, cultural production, and nonprofit arts management. Offered in the academic year, the student will work directly with CALA Alliance staff and leadership to gain experience in many facets of cultural work, including artist-led projects, nonprofit arts management, and community engagement.
The Curatorial Student worker is a key partner in supporting efforts on behalf of the organization that invites broad engagement across the diverse communities of CALA Alliance's wider audience and stakeholders. This is a part-time hybrid remote/in-office employment located in Phoenix, Arizona. Reporting to the Executive Director & Curator, the Curatorial Student Worker will learn about all aspects of curatorial work, including engaging in exhibition research, planning, programs, and events; managing contacts and correspondence; assisting with the coordination of catalogues, didactic materials, and exhibition documentation; writing and editing exhibition-related copy; and writing various marketing copy.
The work will consist of specifically three upcoming programmatic efforts: The first will be providing the Executive Director & Curator with exhibition support for a solo exhibition of New York-based Sarah Zapata, mounted at ASU Art Museum in January 2024. Expect to learn about aspects of late-stage exhibition planning from the Curator, including: finalizing exhibition checklists, learning about loan letter processes, assisting with writing and editing exhibition didactics, sitting in on planning meetings with the artist, and assisting in the planning of artist-in-residence programming. Additionally, the opportunity to shadow an exhibition install, experience different stages of exhibition planning while assisting with the solo exhibition of CALA Alliance’s resident artist, opening in July 2024. Finally, the Curatorial Student Worker will also have the opportunity to learn about and assist in developing CALA Alliance’s cultural literacy program, How I Became an Arista (HIBAA). HIBAA seeks to disseminate art and art history from Latinx, Indigenous, and Latin American perspectives often not taught to audiences. CALA Alliance host eight art LABs over the fiscal year, engaging with local artists here in Phoenix. CALA Alliance is committed to supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility at the heart of every staff role. We expect that the intern will excel in learning in a broadly diverse community regarding race, ethnicity.
Specific responsibilities
- Learn about the planning and production of events and programs. Assist in any administration related to programming.
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Learn about the curatorial process, including assisting on exhibitions in various stages of completion.
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Gain understanding of the importance of evaluation and audience research. Assist Curatorial Assistant in developing program evaluation and audience research.
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Support visiting artists and contribute to project research and execution
- Assist in the maintenance of program archives.
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Assist in the creation of program marketing content.
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Strengthen research sills by conducting artist research
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Support Sabor annual fundraiser, including event planning and execution, silent auction and raffle management, and communication with artists.
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Learn about the governance of non-profits by attending Board meetings / event committee meetings.
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Strengthen language skills by assisting with proofreading bilingual didactics
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Provide general administrative support to the Executive Director & Curator, as needed.
- Other duties as assigned
Desired qualifications
- Undergraduate students currently enrolled in accredited academic programs. Freshman or equivalent are not eligible.
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Preferred applicants must have completed a minimum of two years of academic course work.
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Demonstrated interest in Art History, American studies, Latinx studies, Culture Studies, or other humanities field highly desirable.
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Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
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Excellent interpersonal skills, and an ability to work well in a small team.
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Bilingual (English-Spanish) strongly preferred.
CALA Alliance is committed to nurturing, educating, and exposing the next generation of contributors, professionals, and leaders entering the field of Latinx art through our internship program. CALA Alliance is run by a small team. The student worker position is an excellent opportunity for the right candidate looking for a hands-on approach to learning.
