The Arts Council for Long Beach is entering its second semester of placing Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) art students into paid internship positions at Long Beach arts organizations, according to a release issued Tuesday. The program, named Creative Long Beach, was launched last fall with funding from Linda Gunn of Gunn ǀ Jerkens Marketing.
Creative Long Beach placed five students in the fall and six in the spring, and aims to expand to provide 20 internships for the 2016/17 school year, according to the release. The program will grow to include Long Beach City College students in the fall.
“This synergistic approach to creative learning benefits students and organizations alike; and we are hopeful that, as the internship program develops and prospers, other patrons of the arts will share in this worthwhile endeavor to enable more students and host sites to participate,” said Linda Gunn in a statement.
Louise Nguyen, a development intern at Long Beach Opera, said the position has sparked her interest in the field, a step outside of her graphic design major. She is learning about grant research and writing and has been able to put her design skills to practical use creating marketing materials for the department.
“This program is unlike any other,” she stated. “I have gained the support of people who inspire me to change the world.”
Executive Director of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, Kelly Ruggirello, doted on the program stating it provided the symphony with a semester of much-needed support for their music education programs throughout the city. Creative Long Beach provides participating organizations with the hard work of CSULB students, while cultivating new arts leaders for Long Beach.
“Too often, talented CSULB graduates leave the city for jobs elsewhere,” said former Arts Council Executive Director Victoria Bryan in a statement. Bryan assisted with the start of the program. “We’re trying to help remedy that by expanding job opportunities for future graduates,” she said.
For more information about the Creative Long Beach internship program, please visit the webpage here.
Images courtesy of Arts Council for Long Beach. Top left image of Louise Nguyen, development intern at Long Beach Opera. Bottom right image of Connor Bogenreif, Long Beach Symphony Orchestra music education and community engagement intern, and supervisor Issy Roberts, manager of operations, education and community engagement.