One placement is available at each organisation. Applicants can apply for one placement only. The 10 best applicants will be selected.
Read more about our current interns experiences in our 2011 Intern case studies below.
Katie Hall - Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery
Katie completed her MA in History of Art in 2010.
When I started at BMAG the exhibition Lost in Lace was being installed so I was immediately able to get heavily involved in a major exhibition installation. A couple of weeks ago I worked on the exhibition de-installation. It was fascinating to take part in both and see the exhibition space transform.
I’ve mostly been working on two exhibitions: Children’s Lives and Style Africa. Style Africa is an exhibition on West African textiles curated by young people from Birmingham City University and the University of Birmingham. I’ve been taking part in workshops, selecting objects and discussing the exhibition text. For Children’s Lives I have had a huge range of tasks, from working on the object lists to liaising with the designers and the museum’s Conservation team, and even getting involved in some DIY during the installation!
This internship has been a fantastic experience and I’ve really enjoyed every aspect of it. I think it will have set me up very well for the future where I hope to go on to a career in museums.
Katy Wade - Sampad South Asian Arts
Before her internship Katy studied a Masters in Heritage Management at the Ironbridge Institute.
My time at sampad has been very varied and full of new learning opportunities. My primary role has been to co-ordinate a personal development scheme about dance leadership, as part of sampad’s Moving Earth project for Dancing for the Games 2012. This has seen me plan, recruit participants, promote, deliver and evaluate several training sessions, and has significantly improved my project management and budgeting skills. I have also contributed to major fundraising applications, and have undertaken detailed research into trusts, allowing me to identify the different ways organisations can raise money (which is very important nowadays).
Assisting with the performance and educational programme has also been another important task, as I have provided backstage support at the Midday Mantras and helped to prepare and deliver educational workshops for artists. I have also received plenty of opportunities to undertake personal development, such as receiving training for the bronze and silver arts award, which has resulted in me being qualified to mentor future participants and assess their portfolios for this prestigious award.
These beneficial projects and countless opportunities have created a fully enjoyable and very dynamic experience, which has fully prepared me for whatever turn my career might take next!
Rebecca Lawrence - Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
Becky completed her MA in Heritage Management at the Ironbridge Institute.
My internship at the Ironbridge Gorge Museums has been mainly focused within the Marketing department with the opportunity to undertake other activities as and when they have arisen. My main task has been promoting the museums activities related to their involvement in the Cultural Olympiad in particular a generative art exhibition by a renowned international artist.
This has been a new and exciting challenge for me and my key roles have included working on increasing awareness and interest through social media, liaising with other organisations, writing press releases and copy for websites, posters and fliers and liaising with the artist. This has not only developed my existing skills but also introduced me to a whole range of new ones. A highlight for me was being given the responsibility of coordinating Takeover Day as part of the Kids in Museums national initiative.
The whole experience has been highly rewarding and beneficial but it has also been fun and diverse. All of the Museum staff have been welcoming and friendly and I have been made to feel like one of the team. If I could do my time again with the Museum I wouldn’t hesitate to do so.
Josephine Newman - Birmingham Opera Company
Before Jo took up her placement she had just finished an Mphil in Directing and Dramaturgy at the University of Birmingham, where she also studied Drama and Theatre Arts (BAHons).
Working with Birmingham Opera Company has been a fantastic experience. Over the course of my placement I have worked within the general management team on a number of small projects and events, such as the Colmore Chorus and an Open Day at AE Harris, in addition to working towards a large-scale new opera, Life is a Dream, in Digbeth’s Argyle Works. I have gained experience in everything from finance and marketing to participation and production preparation, in addition to learning a range of important administrative skills. It has been really exciting to gain an insight into the running of a small but major arts organisation, meeting artists who are internationally renowned and a working with a highly skilled and experienced team who have given me endless pearls of wisdom. It has been a real learning curve for me, especially discovering how to manage my time and work load in such a fast-paced environment.
It has been great to get to know the other four interns (who are lovely) and sharing new cultural experiences, in addition to undertaking training with them at the University before and during the placement. It is a brilliant scheme and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Patrick Haines – Library of Birmingham
Before becoming an Intern Patrick spent four years studying at the University of Birmingham, reading a BA(Hons) in History and Social Science and an MPhil(B) in Medieval History.
This internship has been a fantastic opportunity to witness what Birmingham has to offer culturally, and to gain experience across the culture and arts sector. As part of my daily job I have been involved with the digital output of the Archives, working on website content and the research for this.
The Archives is also currently putting on an exhibition, Children’s Lives, in partnership with Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the University of Birmingham. The chance to see how such a large exhibition progresses from an original concept through to its completion has been an insight into something I had never encountered before. Similarly, the archives run several outreach programmes, and so to understand how groups use and expand their own archives in Birmingham has been invaluable. Outside of the daily job I have been given the opportunity to join several discussions about the new £188.8m Library of Birmingham project, including the archive gallery space within the building and the design of the website. The University has also organised training days, offering a great platform to meet the key players for culture across Birmingham and the UK, as well as to receive training in media relations and employability advice.