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Work With Us

The Art Effect empowers youth to develop their artistic voice to shape their futures and bring about positive social change. We help youth in the Hudson Valley from all backgrounds explore, experience, and excel in the arts, introducing them to visual arts and media, giving them the opportunity to develop real skills in these fields, and guiding them towards achieving their academic and career goals. Our legacy of supporting personal growth, creativity, and self-expression through the arts has been a driving force in the life of our multicultural community for more than 30 years – Mill Street Loft since 1981 and Spark Media Project since 1994 and now Barrett Art Center in 2021. Building on this strong foundation, The Art Effect is now the largest arts education nonprofit in the region.

Current Openings:

Director of Programs

The Director of Programs is responsible for researching, planning, developing and evaluating The Art Effect’s programs and projects. They ensure that all programs are delivered on time, within budget, and according to quality standards. This is a senior-level position, overseeing other program directors and managers. Salary is based on experience. $65,000 – $75,000 annually. Click here for more information. To Apply: Please email cover letter, resumé, and 3 references to employment@thearteffect.org.

Internship opportunities:

To quote founding board member Peter Leonard (former Director of Fieldwork, Vassar College), “In an internship, your classroom becomes the world.” At The Art Effect, we believe that authentic learning happens in the application of knowledge to real-world situations and problems. An internship at The Art Effect is an opportunity to gain professional experience.

interns at the art effect

The Art Effect offers internships for school credit in three sessions per year:

  • Spring (January-May): Availability required is 5-10 hours per week during traditional business hours (M-F, 10am – 5pm) or after-school hours during the school year (M-Th, 2:30 – 5:30 pm).
  • Summer (June-August): Availability Required 16 hour per week (2 full days)
  • Fall (September-December): Availability required 5-10 hours per week during traditional business hours (M-F, 10am – 5pm) or after-school hours during the school year (M-Th, 2:30 – 5:30 pm).

Applicants are asked to consider the internship descriptions below and send letters of interest in specific positions, along with a current resume or CV, to: Cory Spraker, Operations Manager, at Cory@thearteffect.org.

Art Institute Intern
The Art Institute Intern should have an art-focused background as well as a strong interest in arts administration and art education. This intern will work on a variety of tasks including welcoming students and families, maintaining studio and materials, documenting programs via photography and video, and assisting our Teaching Artists as needed. Ideal candidates will have a strong fundamental understanding of the principals of fine art/design and critique. Strong communication skills and the ability to work with and engage middle and high school age youth are a must. Availability required is 5-10 hours per week in shifts of two hours or more, including possible nights and weekend in alignment with Art Institute class schedule.

Workforce Program Intern
Workforce Program interns support the development, implementation, and assessment of curricula and programming by helping run workshops and after school classes, assisting in curriculum development, assisting classes with attendance records, student files, and digital media management support, and researching youth film festivals and coordinating submissions of student-produced work. Workforce Program interns work closely with one of the following programs:

  1. Media/Art/Design Lab (MADLab)
    The MADLab intern helps with student application processing, creation of programmatic materials such as rosters and visual arts education tools, on-site production assistance, arts materials maintenance, and digital file management. Prior experience with mural painting, visual arts, and/or working with teenagers preferred but not required. Availability required is 5-10 hours per week during after-school hours during the school year (M-Th, 2:30 – 5:30 pm).
  2. Spark Studios
    Spark Studios is The Art Effect’s after-school youth employment program focusing on media and technology. The Spark Studios intern helps with student application processing, creation of programmatic materials such as rosters and visual arts education tools, on-site production assistance, media file management, and file organization/backup. Prior experience with videography, filmmaking, graphic design and/or working with teenagers preferred but not required. Availability required is 5-10 hours per week during after-school hours during the school year (M-Th, 2:30 – 5:30 pm).

Marketing & Communications Intern
Marketing and Communications Intern assists with all aspects of The Art Effect’s communications channels. Responsibilities include: keeping our website up-to-date, connecting with local and national media outlets, creating and sending our press releases, creating content for social media, and conducting community outreach. 

Social Media Intern
Social Media Intern assists with representing The Art Effect’s programs and initiatives in digital spaces. Responsibilities of this internship include: building content for marketing materials (including e-blasts, blog posts, press releases, social media, flyers, etc.), inputting information into community calendars conducting web analytics, and conducting community outreach. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Google Suite and graphic design experience preferred. 

Film Production Intern
Production intern supports our production house, Forge Media, as well as our media education programs. Interns will gain experience in pre-production, production, post-production at a professional level through camera operation, non-linear editing, graphic design, digital file management, and other media production and post-production-related tasks. 

Trolley Barn Intern
The Trolley Barn intern’s responsibilities include creating and maintaining virtual exhibition galleries, assisting with registering incoming art loans & paperwork, keying in and creating paper labels from loan paperwork, assisting with labels and signage, and other exhibition-related tasks including openings and events (such as the PKX Festival) as needed. Availability required is at least 12 hours per week during traditional business hours (M-F, 10am-5pm). Click here for full internship description.

Development Intern
The Development intern assists with fundraising, events, and public relations. Responsibilities of this internship include: researching new funding support (grants/sponsors/prospective donors), drafting proposals and grant reports, helping implement fundraising events, and conducting community outreach.

Interns have used skills honed during their internships to land jobs in the fields of media, the arts, teaching, production and more, with such employers as Nickelodeon Studios, Poughkeepsie Journal Media Group, Stockade Works, and more.

Volunteer at The Art Effect:

“This summer, thanks to the skills and experience I gained at the Art Effect I was hired to be the intern with Common Sense Media’s new program; Wide Open Schools. I will be getting to work on developing curriculum and writing stories to help educators and parents who have now been moved to work and teach from home.” — Francisco Andrade, Vassar College Class of 2022

“All of the skills that you gain doing the multitude of tasks you may be given at Spark are applicable to your future career. Embrace this unique opportunity to create, serve, and learn. I am confident that you will have a truly invaluable experience like I did.“ – Lindsay Granat, Health and Human Services Major, SUNY New Paltz Class of 2016

“I wanted to make sure I did not miss the opportunity to thank you for all the ways you helped me throughout the semester. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me about senior project advice, and always giving me encouragement. It provided me with lots of perspective that really helped me formulate new connections and insights. I absolutely loved the opportunity to get to know you all and work closely with all of you. It is such a special place and I was happy to be a part of it for a while!” – Ryan Eykholt, Media Studies major, Vassar College Class of 2017