Final Getty Marrow Intern Blog Post – JD Davillier

Hello again, it’s JD (Craft in America’s Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern). Unfortunately, though, this one will be my last post here. The classic line in situations like this is to be shocked at how fast it went by. I won’t break that tradition today; I really do feel like I was just writing my midpoint post. Still, when I think back to everything I’ve done at this position so far, it takes a while. I’ve done and learned a lot over this summer both in and out of work, and the fact that I need more than a few minutes to run through everything in my head is proof of that.
So, obviously I can’t summarize this whole experience in a blog post, but I will share some highlights and hopefully some insight from the past few weeks. One such highlight is working on diagrams for the various woodworking joints featured on the Craft Video Dictionary website, something I’m very glad I was asked to do. I didn’t expect to enjoy making those diagrams as much as I did, but it was so satisfying to engage with the joints I had been watching videos of for weeks in that way. Finding the best way to present those images was a motivating challenge, and that experience was so valuable for me to see how rewarding it could be to engage with that work in a professional capacity. I won’t list everything I’ve worked on because it would take too long, but I truly feel like I was able to learn something from every project, which is not something to take for granted.
Beyond professional development, I appreciated the community and people I met greatly. Whether it be fellow Getty interns, visitors to the center, or the staff at Craft in America and Freehand, it truly was a pleasure to meet everyone and gain those new perspectives. It was great to meet artists and be inspired by them, but it was just as valuable to meet art appreciators and people who work for art-focused organizations. The art world is complex and varied, and the understanding you gain from directly interacting with people in it cannot be replicated. Beyond insight into potential paths for my future career, meeting a variety of people has helped me become a more well-rounded person with a deeper understanding of the world, and that, too, is not something I will take for granted.
That understanding is something that should be thought about more with opportunities like these in general. There is a lot of pressure in our world to go to school and get an internship as ways to ensure your future career. A future career is certainly important, but it’s also crucial that degrees and internship experience have meaning in terms of development and not just because of their title. That’s why a large part of what I loved about this internship was being exposed to so many different situations and pushing myself to come up with solutions for them. My goal with experiences like these, and everything really, is always to grow in ways that can’t just be put on a resume. Those statistics do matter, but there’s so much to life that you miss out on if you let them define you. Being happy with the person you grow to become is a big deal because it affects you in all aspects of your life rather than just one. I hope that I and others can continue to remember that.
I’m so grateful that I had an internship where it was easy to make the most out of it in that way, for both my personal and professional development. Thank you so much to Craft in America, the Getty, and everyone else I’ve met and interacted with who shared experiences with me. And of course, thank you to anyone who is reading this, and I hope you got something out of it!

Best wishes,
JD

2024 Getty Marrow Intern Midpoint – JD Davillier

Hi everyone, this is JD, the summer 2024 Getty Marrow Undergraduate intern at Craft in America. A few weeks ago, I remember talking to someone who, many years ago, did an engineering internship at a company where the engineering department was in a bit of an off season. The first half of their internship was going into the office, sitting at the computer next to their supervisor, and playing solitaire. Now, they did eventually get a project to work on besides “familiarizing themself with the Windows game suite,” but hearing that definitely made me grateful to have an internship where I’m learning about things I’m passionate about (not that there’s anything wrong with solitaire).

Jokes aside, I was genuinely surprised when I realized it was time to make my midpoint blog post. The first half of my internship has flown by because all of the projects I’ve been working on have felt very directly engaging, interactive, and interesting. A big part of that is that the team here truly values my input and contributions. Early on, I became interested in social media and online content, so I shared some of my thoughts with my supervisors which eventually led me to make a document with some ideas and analysis. They were encouraging of my ideas right away, and I ended up creating social media content. That was an exciting creative project that I got a lot of control over and was able to feel personally invested in very easily.

A few weeks in, I started to want to do more on the graphic design side, and the team very quickly had a project with me on that front. I was given the resources and guidelines I’d need, but ultimately I was encouraged to be creative and make the project my own. That trust in my abilities and perspective has been very exciting, and it makes the lessons I have learned through working here that much more valuable. It means a lot to know that the work I’m doing has a significant impact, and I find that roles like these where I can take on a higher level of responsibility are always the ones that lead to the most development.

Of course, the content itself is also an aspect that I have learned so much from. Even while I’m working on tasks that sound less creatively exciting, such as updating the website, I am able to stay engaged because I am constantly discovering new things about the craft world. Craft has such deep history and community, so I am often surprised by all the different ways artists use materials to make interesting objects. For example, just yesterday I was blown away by Joan Takayama-Ogawa’s ceramics. So many of the artists I’ve seen or even met have truly inspired me with their work and I find myself thinking about them, looking them up, or showing people their work even when I’m not on the clock. That level of direct interaction and connection to artists and people who know so much about the craft world adds so much depth to everything I learn about. I also had the chance to meet other people my age in the intern events through the Getty, which was great because there are so many interesting and talented people.

Opportunities like these are definitely a situation where you get out of it what you put in, but to a degree they also depend on what you are allowed to get out of them. The trust of my supervisors to give me tasks and responsibilities that they know I can handle has allowed me to get a lot out of this experience, so I truly am grateful for that.

2024 Getty Intern Announcement

Hello everyone, my name is John Davillier (I usually go by JD), and I am very excited to be starting the Digital Communications Intern position for Craft in America through the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship Program! I am currently going into my senior year at the University of Southern California’s Roski School of Art and Design studying BFA Art with a minor in computer programming. I am mainly interested in telling stories with my work, so I am interested in a wide variety of fields whether it be animation, painting, fashion, or design.

I was born and raised in New Orleans, where I was constantly surrounded by artists working on their craft and expressing themselves, so it became very apparent how art can be used to express ideas with a level of spirit that is often not possible with logical understanding alone. The power that art has to make someone not just learn things about someone else’s human experience but to actually feel those things is what makes it such an effective method of communication. Craft is one of the areas where I feel this the most, as it has been a core area of human experience since the beginning of our existence. We as humans have always stood out because of our ability to merge with the tools nature provides us and create something new in tandem with it. A large topic of interest to me at the moment is how this core experience shifts and changes as a result of the heavily digital world we live in today.

Craft in America has offered complete immersion into that topic, and I consider myself very lucky to have joined the team in time to see some of the background work for the upcoming show and help participate, which has exposed me to the work of a group of very skilled woodworkers. Although I have just recently started, seeing the show and the various online content I have worked on so far has already significantly demonstrated how important the connection the artist has with their craft is, and how the spirit they pour into it translates into a unique final object. I really enjoy Craft in America’s emphasis on showing process for that reason. Often from the perspective of a consumer, the final product is everything. However, for the artist, the process: the feeling of using their tools, the texture of the objects they’re working on, the sounds that reverberate through their studio, might be more important than any possible result. 

As I continue to work this position, I am very excited to learn more about the connection all kinds of people have with their craft, and how that can lead them to connect with each other. For my generation, the threat of alienation and overconsumption seems to loom over the heads of many. There is a fear that the work we as humans do will become irrelevant as technology takes on more and more roles in our place. Still, for me personally, I have hope, and I feel that working with an organization like this one, where I am surrounded by artists who are passionate and longing for connection, only further strengthens that hope. There is no better demonstration of the idea that, no matter how hard it gets, humans will always have a desire for and love for the act of creating things and expressing themselves than experiencing the communities that are based around those very acts.

Getty Marrow Digital Communications Paid Internship 2024

Craft in America is pleased to announce that we have received a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship grant for this summer and we are offering a Digital Communications internship.

The Craft in America Digital Communications intern will provide support and assist in various aspects of organizational digital media content and management. Projects include cataloging and captioning our digital video library, research for the Craft Video Dictionary, cataloging our Craft in America Center library, researching and writing artist biographies for the website, and creating promotional materials.

Over the summer, the intern will participate in outreach with artists, outside organizations, collectors, local businesses, student groups, and art schools. In addition, the intern will be involved in researching and writing web and social media content to support the organization’s programming, website, and PBS documentary series. The intern will be trained to use our website and Constant Contact and will have structured time to familiarize with Craft in America’s resources, artist database, and style guide. Familiarity and knowledge of Adobe Suite, Google Suite is a plus.

This paid internship is on-site at the Craft in America Center two days a week and remote for three days a week for a total of 40 hours a week. Intern must be available for 10 continuous weeks between June 3-Aug 23, 2024.

To Apply
Submit résumé, two letters of recommendation or contact information (phone/email) for two references (teacher, professor, former employer, etc.), and a description of how you meet the requirements for the position. Email all submissions to apply@craftinamerica.org with the subject heading “Internship.” Applications due April 15, 2024.

Eligibility
Students must:

• Be a member of a group underrepresented in careers related to art conservation, museums, and/or visual arts organizations, which can include groups defined by – among other things – socioeconomic status, cultural background, physical or other disability, geographical origin and/or any life experiences that add diverse and underrepresented perspectives.

• Be currently enrolled as a full-time undergraduate in either a bachelor’s degree program or an associate’s degree program. Students must have completed at least one semester or two quarters of college by June 2024. Students who graduated the semester or quarter immediately before the internship begins are also eligible. (Students who are enrolled in a second BA or BS program are not eligible.)

• Attend college in or be a permanent resident of LA County; and

• Be a United States citizen or permanent resident (non-citizen authorized to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis; also known as a “green card” holder). Students with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) status valid through the internship period are also eligible.

About Craft in America

Craft in America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 2004 with the mission to promote and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media. The Peabody Award-winning, Emmy-nominated Craft in America documentary series first aired nationally on PBS in 2007 and has produced 31 hour-long episodes to date. These programs are filled with artists, techniques, and stories from diverse cultures, blending history with living practice.

In addition to the series, Craft in America’s organizational efforts include extensive websites (pbs.org/craftinamerica and craftinamerica.org), a YouTube channel (youtube.com/craftinamerica), multi-disciplinary educator guides that adhere to national standards, and the Craft in America Center in Los Angeles. All of Craft in America’s multimedia educational content is provided to the public at no charge.

Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern Summer 2023 Final Post

Mary here, Craft in America’s Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern for Summer 2023. I can’t believe it’s been ten weeks since I started my internship. I am amazed by how much I’ve learned about the world of craft in such a short time. I came to Craft in America having just graduated from college, with little awareness of opportunities to learn new creative skills outside of academia. Since then, I’ve been exposed to so many local artists and organizations dedicated to furthering the art of handmade craft. I am thrilled to be able to promote these opportunities to the creative-minded people in my life. Allied Woodshop, for example, offers woodworking classes specifically for women, trans, and GNC individuals. I don’t think woodworking is for me, but I am hoping to take a blacksmithing workshop at Adam’s Forge, another LA-based nonprofit, sometime in the future. I still treasure the advanced weaving workshop I took at the Craft in America center with Ferne Jacobs, and will definitely be back for more.

During my second week at Craft in America, part of my duties included attending an artist talk at the Center given by Jeff Oestreich. In preparation, I researched the legacy of Leach Pottery in the Midwestern United States as carried on by Bernard Leach’s students (Jeff Oestreich, Warren McKenzie, and Clary Illian). This helped me comprehend the significance of craft as a bedrock of community. Not only has this internship increased my understanding of the necessary administrative work which underlies the craft world, it has brought me closer to finding a place in my own community of fellow makers.

I am sincerely thankful to the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship program for this opportunity, and to all the staff at Craft in America for making this such a positive experience.

2023 Getty Marrow Intern — Mary McCord

Mary here, writing from week 5 of my Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship. I can’t believe my time at Craft in America is half over! The diverse range of projects I’m working on have made the experience fly by.

My role at Craft in America is in digital communications, but the opportunities I’ve been given through the Getty Marrow program encompass much more than that. Yesterday for example, the Getty sent members of my internship cohort on a walking tour of public art in Long Beach. I had little experience in the realm of public art, but the Arts Council of Long Beach presented an informative snapshot of the entire process including conception, funding, community input and engagement, and conservation. A few weeks ago, the Getty Center hosted a leadership summit for this year’s internship cohort. We were treated to a series of lectures from Getty Marrow alumni, and encouraged to explore the museum’s exhibitions after the day’s activities concluded. My current immersion in craft gave me a new perspective on the value of handmade objects in museum collections.

Week to week, I’ve been working on a number of exciting projects. I am currently focused on conducting research for our upcoming Craft Video Dictionary project, supported by the Decorative Arts Trust’s Prize for Excellence and Innovation. The Craft Video Dictionary seeks to be a resource for craftspeople of all skill levels by providing a video encyclopedia of common techniques, materials, and tools spanning a variety of craft media. Contributing to this project has deepened my appreciation for the extensive knowledge and skill craftspeople bring to their work. I’ve also been promoting different facets of the Craft in America Center on social media. This includes our current exhibition, Couples in Craft, as well as the ever-expanding Craft in America library. The library houses a collection of over 3,000 craft books, catalogs, and publications, all completely free and open to the public. I would love to see the surrounding community utilize this more often!

A highlight of my internship so far was attending an advanced weaving workshop led by Ferne Jacobs, a prolific fiber artist whose work I’ve admired for years. I was thrilled when Craft in America agreed to let me film the event for social media while participating as a student. Jacobs is a gifted educator, and the small class size allowed her to spend ample one-on-one time with each participant. We had a great discussion about our individual goals, inspirations, and the creative process, receiving constructive feedback throughout. It was one of the most energizing creative experiences I’ve had – all because this internship gives me the opportunity to make my passions part of my job description.

On a related note, the exhibition “Ferne Jacobs: A Personal World” is on at the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art until September 24th. Thoughtfully curated by Craft in America’s own Emily Zaiden, the exhibition is a 60-year retrospective which includes rarely-exhibited works. It’s a great source of insight into the more esoteric themes in Jacobs’ work. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the area.

Looking back on the first half of my internship, I am awed by how much I have learned about the world of craft. I am looking forward to the second half of this experience, excited about perfecting skills I have begun to develop.

Filming with Ryan Taber at California State University Long Beach

Mary here, Craft in America’s summer 2023 Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern. Last week, I had the pleasure of accompanying Craft in America to California State University Long Beach to shoot content for an ongoing project: the Craft Video Dictionary. CSULB is my alma mater, and returning to campus for my new job less than two months after graduating was surreal. The team set up in the school’s wood shop, nestled in the center of the fine arts building complex where I’d spent most of my time in undergrad. We were filming with Ryan Taber, head of the University’s Wood program, as he demonstrated a variety of woodworking techniques.

The Craft Video Dictionary is one of the most ambitious projects I’ll be working on throughout my internship. The project’s website, which launches later this year, will host an extensive library of videos illustrating craft techniques and their associated materials and tools. We filmed Ryan demonstrating a few common processes in furniture design. I had no prior knowledge of woodworking, but Ryan thoroughly explained each step to the crew. He advised us on presenting the material with clarity and accuracy throughout the day. I left with a deepened appreciation for the minutiae of furniture construction. It was one of the many ways this internship has helped me notice the subtle craftsmanship I interact with every day. The expertise and skill Ryan brought on set made me even more excited for the launch of this project.

The Craft Video Dictionary is supported by the Decorative Arts Trust’s Prize for Excellence and Innovation. To learn more about the Trust or to become a member, visit The Decorative Arts Trust.

2023 Getty Marrow Intern — Mary McCord

We are pleased to announce that our 2023 Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern, Mary McCord, has joined us for the summer.

This spring, Mary completed their Bachelor of Arts in Art History at California State University Long Beach. Prior to enrolling in CSULB’s Art History program, they studied fashion design and fine arts at Mount San Antonio College near their hometown of Claremont, CA. Exposure to the scale and speed of today’s garment industry, as well as its ecological implications, led Mary to explore the world of artisan craftsmanship in pursuit of a sustainable alternative. Their interest in craft was solidified at CSULB, where they were lucky to take several Art History classes in conjunction with the University’s thriving American Indian Studies department. During that time, they became enamored with the vibrant history of craftsmanship on the North American continent, as well as craftsmanship in the Caribbean diaspora. Naturally, an internship at Craft in America seemed like an excellent fit.

In just one week at Craft in America, Mary’s appreciation for a variety of craft traditions has already deepened. They are especially excited to continue learning about the communal element of craftsmanship: from the teachers who form a link between old and young generations by passing down traditional techniques, to the artisans who dedicate themselves to making their crafts accessible to local communities. They are inspired by the dedication of craftspeople to the lifelong process of honing their skills, as well as their ability to create deeply personal works within traditional craft techniques. Mary hopes that this experience will inform their own multimedia arts practice, teaching them to utilize craft for the purpose of community bonding and resilience as generations of craftspeople have done before.

2022 Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern Sophia Li – Final Report

Hi, this is Sophia Li, Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern. This is my last week of my internship and I want to thank Craft in America for allowing me to be part of this organization and participate in all the ongoing projects. I am also extremely grateful to the Getty Marrow Internship program for their passion to promote the next generation of art enthusiasts and art historians. I had a wonderful time at this internship, and I am looking forward to keeping up with Craft in America and the community of craft! I’ll be continuing at Otis College as a senior studying product design and contemporary clay. Thank you for following my time at Craft in America.

Photo: Madison Metro | Beautiful artwork: Tibbie Dunbar

2022 Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern Sophia Li

It is already 7 weeks into my internship at Craft in America, time sure goes by fast. Although my internship is mostly remote and consists of digital projects, I am really glad to have experienced in-person tasks as well. 

My work includes some on-going projects like captioning our artist talks, which if you haven’t checked them out yet, you definitely should. My favorite video so far is Arline Fisch’s artist talk. Although I’ve watched the videos 10 times or even more, it’s still fascinating and her explanation of her work is so engaging. Arline Fisch works in metal but uses fiber techniques not traditional to metal. You really have to see the video for yourself. Other than working on the videos, I have also been assigned many graphic design projects like creating flyers for our current Craft in America Center exhibitions, Tibbie Dunbar: Assemble and Location Services: Jewelry Perspectives On Time & Place, and also formatting advertisements for our new upcoming PBS episodes. 

During the installation of Ferne Jacob’s show and installation of Tibbie Dunbar’s show, I was able to assist in-person at the Center. I learned about packing art pieces to help protect the artwork during transportation, wrapping the artwork multiple times, double boxing, and making sure every inch of the artwork is covered and secure. This is a skill not taught in art school to artists, although it really should be, because artists need to know how to protect and ship their work to ensure the longevity of the artworks. To install the show, we had to prepare the gallery which involved painting and cleaning the walls and all the pedestals. I helped Tibbie set up her show and got to see the exhibition assembled, and come to life which is something I’ve never experienced. I have to say it feels really good to be part of completing a show, helping out behind the scenes and knowing that I painted all the pedestals used in the show. 

Overall it has been great getting to work on and dabble in all the projects at Craft in America. We have a lot of projects going on so please continue to follow along!