IMA Summer Intern Steph Gray

After spending almost 8 weeks of my summer at the IMA, I cannot believe that it’s almost over. This summer has been a busy one for us interns and everyone at the Museum. From the opening of 100 Acres to working diligently to bring you (yes you!) the most exciting exhibitions and art around, I believe that the staff drank enough coffee to water a nation.

If you haven’t been to the IMA this summer, take a moment to see what we’ve been up to:

The opening of 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park

Around 10,000 visitors came out on July 20th to check out the opening day of 100 Acres. Even though it was incredibly hot outside, everyone seemed to be having such a great time interacting with the art. The islanders were giving tours, music was playing, a giant grasshopper was walking around and some of the artists were even watching how the public interacted with their work. Alfredo Jaar stood by me while he was waiting for the trolley…I was star struck.
We’re glad that everyone has been enjoying the park so much and it’s gotten such wonderful press! New York Times, Wall Street Journal, plus our great local news stations and papers as well. If you haven’t been to the park yet, check it out ASAP!

VTS & Tara Donovan: Untitled

A part of our internship included weekly program that allowed for the interns to experience different sides of the Museum and the art “world”. Learning about all the different aspects of the museum and how exhibitions and artwork comes together has become incredibly useful in both my internship and how I now view visual art. The one of the programs I enjoyed most was the Visual Thinking Strategies tour of Tara Donovan: Untitled that allowed us to effectively talk about and analyze Donovan’s work in the exhibition. Through a facilitated discussion we were able to learn so much more about the work than just a regular stroll through the gallery.

Summer Nights

If you haven’t been able to come out and see a film on Friday evenings at the IMA, there is still time! Summer Nights films are fun and you can view them outside on our amphitheater or in the Toby with your family, friends and tons of food (obviously, the best part.) PLUS, if you buy a membership you get discounted tickets and priority seating! It’s a win/win.

Some other great tidbits

Joshua Mosley’s A Vue is amazing. Go see it immediately. Jeppe Hein takes champion of the summer, not only for creating Bench Around the Lake that can be seen in 100 Acres, but also for Distance, the ball roller coaster located on the fourth floor of the museum! PLUS, we have tons of amazing art in all of our galleries from Asian Art all the way to Design. There is something for everyone!

And coming soon…

Andy Warhol Enterprises will be opening October 10, 2010 (or 10/10/10) to the public. This will be your chance to experience the work of Warhol up close and personal at the Museum! “But Steph,” you may be thinking, “that’s almost THREE MONTHS AWAY!” Don’t worry; we’re hard at work to bring Warhol to you all the time. Stay Tuned!

Also, do you have plans for Friday, August 13, 2010? The Public Affairs team has been working diligently to bring you a SURPRISE EVENT at noon on Monument Circle! I’m not at liberty to say what it is, but I promise it will be worth your while if you show up downtown a little before noon…

I’m guessing this blog post has inspired you to immediately stop what you’re doing and head to the IMA…after all, it’s free! Get ready to be amazed (like this guy).

Interested? The IMA has announced its spring 2010 internship opportunities online. Application deadline: Friday, December 11. The individuals pictured above are former or current IMA interns Sam, Ben and Jenny–All whom took advantage of the opportunity to blog during their time here at the Museum. It’s no joke that students selected to participate in the internship program gain practical experience, marketable skills, broad exposure to museum work, and an invaluable glimpse into the museum world.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art Internship Program is designed to mentor future museum professionals by providing real-world learning experiences. Internships are available for undergraduate juniors, seniors and graduate students. Interns participate in the ongoing work of the department to which they are assigned and often work on major projects or complete projects of their own. Interns are not paid; however, they can receive course credit.

• Spring 2010 Internships Available
• Application Requirements
• Internship Application Form

The Marketing internship available in my department (formally known as Public Affairs) is a golden ticket! I may be slightly biased.  With three maternity leaves on the calendar for early 2010, this intern will have a significant opportunity to do meaningful work. The lucky intern will engage in an array of social media efforts including blogging, twittering, facebooking and write copy for the IMA Magazine, press materials and eNewsletters. The intern will join the IMA’s celebrated Web team in managing and creating content on the IMA Web sites. Sound too good to be true? On top of all that, the intern will assist in the promotion of the opening of the IMA’s 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park. That officially makes this internship a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Looking back on my internships at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, I appreciate the introduction to museum life and the follow up exposure to collections, curators,  policies and procedures, major openings and donor events to daily operations. But what I know now, is how much I was appreciated by the museums in which I worked. You will carry the memories and connections you make during an internship for a lifetime.

To give you an overview of what someone who works in museum marketing does , I thought that I’d outline my typical day. In order to do that, I recorded my activities throughout the past Monday. While some of you were relaxing (or partying) on your Columbus Day off, I was hard at work with my fellow colleagues at the IMA.

Image taken from ugotbling.com

COLUMBUS DAY, OCTOBER 12, 2009*

8:27 Arrive at office. Plug in laptop.

8:35 Sip coffee and respond to emails sent over the weekend.

8:50 Research the 100 Acres: Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park for IMA  Magazine article.

9:15 Write interview questions for article to send to Ed Blake, the  landscape architect for 100 Acres.

9:32 Email interview to Ed Blake.

9:37 Discuss signage in Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion with Marketing Manager.

9:42 Register for Next Audiences Summit.

9:52 Review marketing budgets from last 2 years.

10:22 Read NYT’s article about the Louvre’s attempt to ‘Loosen Up.’

10:34 Get distracted by Jamie Oliver article in NYT’s Mag.

10:39 Review Web site content. Put together work plan to present in the afternoon’s Web team meeting.

11:22 Read Geoff Von Burg’s blog entry.

11:31 Email this week’s TV schedule for Sacred Spain commercials to Max, curator Ronda Kasl, and Nugget Factory.

11:38 Check attendance numbers from the weekend.

11:39 Organize opening weekend debrief meeting for Sacred Spain.

11:45 Polish up communication pieces for potential Winter Nights and Summer Nights media sponsorships.

12:18 LUNCH (Lean Cuisine and Fage Yogurt).

12:38 Watch Gentleman Broncos movie trailer.

12:41 Send movie trailer to Dan Dark.

12:44 Change Twitter name from @IndyArtGirl to @MegLiffick.

12:50 COFFEE.

1:00 Catch up on emails from the morning.

1:30 Web Team!

2:50 Review and edit Group Tours corporate mailer for Sacred Spain.

3:15 Respond to email from Contemporary Curator Lisa Freiman about the prestigious national award that her husband received. Congrats, Ed!!!

3:17 Create an initial inventory of marketing materials that can include media/corporate sponsor recognition during 2010.

4:02 Continue to draft 2010 marketing plan for Public Programs.

4:48 Brainstorm about communication ideas for TAP.

5:21 Respond to remaining emails.

5:42 Leave office. Head to gym.

6:13 Check email while running on treadmill at gym. DANGEROUS!

6:16 Attempt to respond to an email while on treadmill at gym. EVEN MORE DANGEROUS!

8:15 Read IBM’s social media guidelines while watching Will Ferrell on Man Vs. Wild.

8:30 Close laptop. No more work for the day.

*Please note that I have left out some details such as phone conversations, specific email correspondences, bathroom breaks, and Facebook and Twitter checks.

Next up (Oct. 28), I’ll tackle the ginormous topic of branding a museum. Stay tuned.