Anderson Ranch Arts Center: Nurturing Emerging Artists Through Immersive Internships

Anderson Ranch Arts Center, a renowned visual arts organization nestled in Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado, offers transformative internship programs designed to cultivate the creative spirits of emerging artists. With a 55-year history of celebrating art-making and fostering creative dialogue, Anderson Ranch provides a unique and enriching experience for interns seeking to develop their artistic skills and advance their careers.

A Year-Round Opportunity for Artistic Growth

Internship opportunities are available year-round, with a significant concentration offered in conjunction with the summer workshops. These internships provide a comprehensive learning experience that integrates rigorous workshops, studio observation, teaching opportunities, and support within a world-class art-making environment. The Artistic Internship Program connects career-focused artists with Anderson Ranch’s flagship Summer Workshop Program, offering a hands-on educational experience.

The Internship Experience: A Deep Dive into the Visual Arts

The Anderson Ranch Internship & Award Program provides an intensive learning experience. Interns become an integral part of the Ranch family, immersing themselves in a vibrant artistic community. The program includes full-day workshops, studio observation, teaching, and support, all within a world-class art-making environment. Interns participate in educational seminars, lectures, and roundtables designed to enhance their overall experience, adhering to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) guidelines.

The internship provides a comprehensive immersion in the visual arts through active involvement in lectures, auctions, seminars, exhibitions, and artist talks hosted on the Anderson Ranch campus. Participants in this program will benefit from a hands-on experience in the studio workshop program by assisting teaching faculty and staff. By working closely with experienced professionals, successful participants will complete the program with enhanced knowledge and skills, having had the opportunity to learn from and observe over a dozen top art faculty within their area of focus.

Hands-on Experience and Skill Development

This program is tailored to provide undergraduate visual arts students with valuable career experience in assisting and teaching, while also granting access to professional networks and facilitating career exploration. Interns work closely with full-time professional staff, gaining hands-on experience in studio facilities, equipment, and supply management. During the internship, participants will deepen and expand their artistic practice while assisting a diverse rotation of highly experienced faculty from top colleges and universities across the country. These faculty members lead intensive one- or two-week workshops, providing interns with exposure to varied teaching styles and artistic techniques. Interns will actively support both faculty and students, gaining insights into curriculum design, group instruction, individual mentoring, and student development.

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Professional Development and Networking

Beyond studio and teaching experience, the internship program emphasizes career development and professional connections. Interns participate in monthly professional development seminars led by senior artistic directors. These seminars cover key topics such as job applications in the art world, graduate programs, artist residencies, photographing and presenting work, writing artist statements, and planning exhibitions. Each intern is assigned a staff mentor for guidance and support throughout the program. Networking with key stakeholders-including professional artists, nationally recognized teaching faculty, art collectors, curators, gallerists, and art dealers-enables interns to build meaningful connections.

Financial Support and Resources

Upon satisfactory completion of the summer term, each intern receives a Professional Development Award of $5,000. This award is not intended as a replacement for wages; rather, it is designed to support future educational or artistic endeavors as participants pursue their artistic and professional goals. The award is issued as a cash grant reported on IRS Form 1099, box X. Anderson Ranch covers intern expenses for room and board during the internship period in Aspen/Snowmass, CO. Additionally, transportation expenses incurred by interns will also be reimbursed by Anderson Ranch. Interns are provided with shared, rotating studio spaces to explore their artistic practice.

A Thriving Artistic Community

Anderson Ranch’s campus is an artistic community nestled among the pristine peaks of the Rocky Mountains. The Ranch campus consists of 14 buildings providing 55,000 square feet of facilities including eight studio buildings, a gallery, a lecture hall, café, store, administrative offices, a student dormitory, as well as residential apartments and cabins. State-of-the-art equipment allows cross-disciplinary experimentation within the mediums of ceramics, woodworking, photography, digital fabrication, painting, sculpture and printmaking. The campus is an oasis of renovated 19th-century cabins and barns that sit alongside contemporary designed buildings, all within the renowned cultural and recreation communities of Aspen/Snowmass, CO, and the Roaring Fork Valley.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Through these internships, we aim to increase access for emerging artists from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students, students receiving financial aid, as well as non-traditional and first-generation college students. Our goal is to enhance their educational experience and expand their future career possibilities in the arts.

Eligibility and Application

Applicants for the Wood & Furniture, Sculpture, Digital Fabrication, and 3D Floater positions must possess a B.A., B.F.A., or an equivalent degree by the start of the program to qualify for consideration. Relevance to Field of Study: Connection to the field of visual arts or alignment with career goals. Experience in digital printing, manual camera use, painting and printmaking techniques. Assistants will be knowledgeable about firing electric and/or gas kilns.

Important Dates

We will accept applications from December 4th, 2024 through March 3rd, 2025. The start date of the program is May 19th, 2025 and ends in September at an agreed-upon date.

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