Learning, Creating, and Connecting: an Internship in Arts Programming

During her internship with COMPAS, PhD candidate Briana Beeman explored the intersection of arts, education, and community programming. From strategic planning to hands-on projects, the experience gave her insight into the inner workings of a nonprofit arts organization.

What are your fields of study?

PhD in theatre historiography & performance studies, with a graduate minor in race, indigeneity, disability, gender, and sexuality studies (RIDGS).

Where was your internship?

COMPAS is an over 50-year-old nonprofit arts education organization that matches teaching artists (artists who teach) with opportunities to teach short-term workshops or long-term residencies at schools, museums, libraries, assisted living and memory care facilities, and correctional facilities—basically anywhere! COMPAS's office is located in St. Paul, MN, but the organization administers programs throughout the state of Minnesota.

These workshops and residencies cover a wide range of mediums, from spoken word poetry to mural-painting to puppetry to dance. COMPAS also helps organize events like the St. Paul Get Down Showcase on Harriet Island, which is an annual showcase of young musicians who have been mentored by COMPAS teaching artists.

What were your top three job responsibilities? Describe the project or projects you worked on.

COMPAS has a small staff of 10 people, so I had the opportunity to do "a little bit of everything" in the areas of programming, development, and administrative work. My first big project was to clean out filing cabinets full of paperwork because they wanted to digitize some materials and free up space in the office. 

Most of the files consisted of application materials and sample lesson plans from COMPAS teaching artists, past and present. This might sound like a dull task, but it was a great introduction to COMPAS's work because I had to read some of the paperwork to determine what to keep. In doing so, I got to learn about the types of artists they've hired and programs they've organized over the years. 

I also helped the executive director transfer COMPAS's annual strategic plan for the year into a project management tool (Microsoft Teams Planner) that created checklists for the whole staff's project-specific tasks and allowed the Board of Directors to track their progress. 

Finally, I helped copyedit K–12 students' writing samples and transfer them to master documents that will become an anthology of student writing from COMPAS's school residencies, which they publish (with binding and everything!) every year.

One of the most interesting things I got to do was sit on a panel for prospective new teaching artist interviews. These interviews consisted of a Q&A session with COMPAS staff, followed by a short demonstration of the prospective teaching artist's lesson. Throughout the course of a week, we learned about the marimba, improvisation, Somali love songs, printmaking, jazz dance, and more. It was energizing to witness the sheer variety of artists working throughout Minnesota and their passion for teaching diverse groups of people.

How did you find your internship? What tips do you have for others seeking similar opportunities?

I had not heard of COMPAS until I found a job posting for a staff position on the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Job Board earlier in the spring. The schedule listed for the position wasn't a good fit for me, but I am ultimately interested in working for an organization that facilitates educational or community programming in the arts and humanities, so I kept COMPAS in mind as I continued my search. 

Weeks passed, and I was rejected from several other internship opportunities I applied for using a traditional application process. I decided to email Amanda Hestwood, the Arts Program Director at COMPAS, with my resume and ask her if there were any short-term projects the organization needed help with over the summer. I also told her that I had funding from the CLA Graduate Student Internship Program, in case they were unable to pay me. Amanda and I met one-on-one, she agreed to take me on as an intern, and the whole opportunity felt like a win-win for everyone.

This opportunity did not result from networking, but I would tell other students that the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits was a great tool for discovering organizations, and to not be afraid to "cold email" people!

What are your top takeaways from your internship experience? How has it helped inform your future plans?

I have always believed in "if it's meant to be, it'll be," but when I was looking for an internship, it took longer to secure one than I thought it would. I was feeling uncertain and a little discouraged about whether there were any good opportunities out there for me. 

Interning with COMPAS ended up being a perfect fit for me —from the mission of the organization itself to practical matters, like my schedule. So, my biggest takeaway—as cliché as it sounds—is: trust yourself and trust time. The right opportunities present themselves in the time that they're supposed to. I hope I remember this when I'm applying for full-time jobs.

Before I started this internship, I had a feeling I wanted to pursue a career in an organization focused on educational or community programming in the arts and/or humanities, and I'm happy to report that working with COMPAS confirmed that for me. I have a better grasp on what working at a nonprofit looks like, and it makes me excited for the next phase of my career.

This story was edited by Sally Adams, an undergraduate student in CLA.