This summer, I spent my time interning at Eastern Bloc - New Media Exhibition & Production Centre, an artist-run organization at the forefront of digital art and new media art dissemination. As a Psychology and Art History double major, my academic interests are in building an understanding of the function of the human mind and the development of artistic practices. Understandably, I have always been inspired by art鈥檚 unique ability to alter an audience鈥檚 perception of their larger surroundings, and have always wondered what it takes for a piece of artwork to find a platform to share their message from. As an exhibition and production center, Eastern Bloc is designed to be a tool for artists to use. Eastern bloc provides facilities like lab spaces, equipment rooms, and exhibition spaces that artists can pay (for a small price) to access. They establish exchange platforms in the form of curated events, festivals, workshops and exhibitions to introduce artists to other artists and the wider community. The hope of the organization is that with this support, emerging digital and new media artists will be able to further challenge the creative boundaries found at the intersection of art, technology and science. Before I started working for Eastern Bloc, I anticipated that the internship would provide me with the opportunity to not only build my professional skills, but also help me learn how the artist-run organization impacts the artist鈥檚 message, and therefore alters the community鈥檚 perception. I wanted to understand the ins-and-outs of the organization, and how it relates to others like it. I also wanted to gain art-history specific skills like learning how to archive artwork, write artwork descriptions and artist bios.
As their communications intern, my responsibilities were to strategize, with the permanent Eastern Bloc team, new communications projects and help with the completion of old ones. I wrote descriptions for workshops, artist bios and events and polished old website designs. However, my main project at Eastern Bloc was the development of a community newsletter. The aim of my newsletter was to share the skills, creative process, personality and artwork of the current members of Eastern Bloc鈥檚 artist community (the artist who worked in the lab or instructing workshops). With the artist, I developed content that put the artists at the forefront. I completed interviews, miscellaneous videos, and photo essays, and came up with a marketing strategy for the newsletter. Examples of content I created include a 3-D modeling tutorial video where the artist in a robotic voice explains the process they take in making an animated creature; a photo essay of makeshift equipment (synths, 3-D printers, laser cutters) that artists designed themselves and are exemplary of the Lab鈥檚 sharing mentality; and an interview with the Lab Manager on how to encourage individual artistic growth without isolating the artist from one another. Once I got to do my own project, every aspect of the internship was a highlight. My only challenges came from the fact that I had to work a full-time job on top of my internship. Finding the time to put in the work necessary, was a constant difficulty. It forced me to organize my time in a way that let me focus on my internship and my work equally. There were a lot of early mornings, and late nights. Regardless, I feel lucky to have been given this opportunity. This internship has opened my eyes further to the ways in which Psychology and Art History intertwine. Since U1, I have been looking into joining a joint honors program, but have been struggling to find a way to combine both of my majors into one thesis topic. This internship has helped me understand their overlap. Through the observations I made of the varied artistic practices I encountered, I discovered that oftentimes similar artistic practices are intertwined with behaviors exhibited by the artist outside of their practice. There are many avenues I could take the observation down.
Without funding I would have not been able to do this internship. Eastern Bloc did not have the funds to pay me for my time, and I did not have the savings to spend the time completing an unpaid internship. If it was not for the Arts Student Employment Fund, I would have had to pass on this influential experience.
