As the university world nears the end of this academic year, the team at the Arlington Museum of Art spent two days last week on the campus of Texas Christian University in nearby Ft. Worth. We sensed the senioritis as we walked across campus to the impressive Bob Schieffer College of Communication.
However, once we walked into the classroom of Broc Sears, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice and Internship Director in the Department of Strategic Communication, it was nothing but business.
Among his courses, Broc leads a Strategic Communications class of advertising and public relations students through the development of a real-life PR campaign. This semester the AMA was their client. Fortunately for us (although likely a challenge for Broc), his roster was packed with 65 graduating seniors, which he split into thirteen teams. At the beginning of the term, each team was assigned a specific program within the museum. Last week, we listened to each team pitch us a comprehensive marketing campaign strategy for enhancing the program’s visibility and impact.
We were blown away. They proposed marketing tactics that highlighted the importance of the AMA as a cultural destination in North Texas; the social and cultural diversity that the museum represents as a place of art; the way our commitment to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) lifts up our community; and the strong contribution the AMA makes to our city’s economy.
All told, the students in Broc’s Strategic Communications class provided the AMA with 1300 hours of work. What an incredible gift!
Gen Z Zeroes In
Every team within the Strategic Communications class truly compelled us with their research, ideas and insights.
There are many reasons for this, not the least of which was the excellent education they’d received from Broc and their other professors throughout their college years. But also – and let’s face it – young adults are just really good at certain things. Like:
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They are on top of trends because they are the trends.
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They’re eager for real-world experiences.
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Technology is their first language.
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They call it like they see it.
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They aspire to make a difference.
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We inspire each other.
Aspire and Inspire: Internships at the AMA
To keep pumping this kind of youthful momentum into our museum culture, for the last couple of years when our budget allows it, the AMA has offered internships to college-aged students interested in pursuing careers at a museum. And boy, do we have a lot of roll-up-your-sleeves opportunities coming up in 2022 and 2023!
Given the massive scale of our soon-to-be-announced summer and fall exhibits, we hope to hire up to four interns this summer and into the fall. In addition to communications and PR work, we offer our interns many real-world experiences including art preservation and cataloging, research, programming, development, and guest relations.
At the AMA, art is our platform for doing good in the world, and we love what we do. Our primary goal when working with interns is to inspire the next generation of museum colleagues to understand art in this same way.
In order to offer this unique opportunity to four deserving students, we’re asking for your help. Our goal is to raise $1500 per intern to help cover their stipends. Will you consider helping us reach our goal to hire four interns this summer and fall? With your support, we look forward to introducing you to our interns within the next few weeks. Thank you for your consideration!
If you’re interested in sponsoring an AMA intern, please contact Kendall Quirk at kendall@arlingtonmuseum.org or 817-275-4600.
