LA River Arts Camp Internship
NOTE: This position is for approximately 35 hours/ week from June through August.
The LA River Arts Summer Camp aims to inspire curiosity, build confidence, and foster compassion in our campers. Join us as we become creative stewards of our environment, learning versatile skills collaboratively and creating art with nature.
We are seeking a Summer Camp Intern with an interest in making and teaching art, who loves working with kids ages 5-11, and can be self-directed in organizing the supplies and operations that are essential for making art with 20-30 kids each weekly session.
The Arts Education Intern is a core part of our team of Summer Art Camp teaching artists, working collaboratively with other team members to supervise and build relationships with our campers and create a safe, fun and caring camp environment. In addition, the Intern will work under the direction of the Camp Director to promote the camp and get organized in the month leading up to the three weeks of camp in July. In August, the intern will assist with camp wrap up and additional org-related tasks.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Must be a college student enrolled for Fall 2024.
- Must be your first time as an intern through the LA County Dept of Arts and Culture
PLEASE SEND RESUME and BRIEF STATEMENT OF INTEREST(in body of email) to: camp@lariverarts.org
LOCATION (July 1- July 27): 5568 Via Marisol, Los Angeles, CA 90042
TOTAL HOURS: 400
RATE: $17.28/hour
BREAKDOWN below:
June 3 – June 28th Camp Lead-Up (100 hours)
Intern will work directly with the Camp Director to support promotional and administrative activities in preparation for camp. M-F, hours vary
Intern may also provide event support for other LA River Arts programs in DTLA, SFV and LB
2024 Camp Schedule/ mandatory on-site days (approx 115 hours)
River Cleanup(1 day): date TBD in June
Prep days(2 days): July 1 and 2
Camp days (10 days): July 8 – 12, July 15-19, July 22-26
Ribbon Cutting Event and Clean-Up(1 day): Saturday, July 27th
July 29 – Aug 23 (185 hours)
Intern will work with Camp Director to wrap up camp-related administration
Intern will work with Executive Director and other LARA staff to prep for next year’s camp and provide support for other LARA programs
Day-to-Day activities include:
Morning Art Activities: Helping to set up our morning art activities before the campers arrive. All activities are outdoors in the park under the canopy of mature sycamores — with the Art in the Park community art center as our anchoring facility.
Large Temporary Public Art: Working with our Camp Arts Director, and other Teaching Artists, facilitating the Teaching Artists as they co-create with campers on a Large Temporary Public Art Project. There may be one or more large-scale projects that are part of the camp curriculum and may include assemblage of found objects, painting, papier mache, poetry book making, collage projects, costumes and more.
Art during “Choice Activity Time”: Assisting campers in our “skill building” art projects during our afternoon choice activities. Help Teaching Artists as they work alongside campers in creating art and craft projects — we work primarily with found, non-toxic and non-extractive compostable materials. The intern will gain experience in weaving and lashing techniques using rattan and other fibers.
Managing materials and projects: Helping to keep camp art materials and camper artwork
organized and accessible. Ensuring all campers take home their artwork at the end of each week.
Internship learning objectives:
We believe summer camp is the perfect opportunity for kids, and our staff, to grow as imaginative and curious human beings. At LA River Public Art Camp we use the arts as a way to engage creatively with the natural world. Our camp staff are trained to build on and harness their own strengths and experiences to build a warm, inclusive and inspiring community.
Key learning objectives include:
Youth Arts Pedagogy with a focus on eco-social strategies
Time management
Hands-on art-making techniques that are non-toxic and regenerative
Basic principles of reciprocity and respect for the River, the First People, Tovaangar(LA River Basin) and all human and non-human communities of LA County.
Work Environment:
Our summer camp headquarters are at Art in the Park, a full-service community arts center that was built in the 1920s. It is a unique gem amongst the City of Los Angeles Rec & Parks facilities. It has a shaded veranda, two bathrooms, a music room, an office, a project space and a community space — and is surrounded by mature sycamores! A large new outdoor play structure is there for supervised bursts of all-out monkey-business during snack times and at lunch time.
ABOUT LA RIVER ARTS:
Founded in 2014, LA River Arts combines advocacy, public policy, and the arts to re-present the river we share. We believe that dynamic public art is the ideal platform for focusing public attention on the Los Angeles River. Our efforts confirm the value of inclusionary art-based public projects and raise the visibility of artists, engaging communities to grow a robust river culture.