GRoWing the Arts

The GRoWing the Arts Internship Program, made possible by GRoW @ Annenberg, provides funding and supportive programming for Barnard students who are completing summer internships in arts organizations in New York City. This important program connects students across arts disciplines to one another, and faculty at Barnard, to create a distinctive community that is committed to advancing the arts. The faculty Co-Directors of GRoWing the Arts are Joan Snitzer, Senior Lecturer in Art History and Co-Chair & Director of Visual Arts and Paul A. Scolieri, Chair and Professor of Dance.

Introducting GRoWing the Arts
Group of GtA students on campus

Meet the 2024 GRoWing the Arts Interns

Georgia Yu '25

Georgia Yu is a Sponsor & Donor Relations Associate at the New York Asian Film Festival, introducing the best of Asian cinema to NYC at Film at Lincoln Center this summer. She is a rising senior double majoring in Film Studies and Economics, born and raised in Nanjing, China. Georgia is passionate about bridging creative works with the right resources and audiences, a goal she hopes to advance during her internship and throughout her future career.

 

Lilja Hanson '25

Lilja Hanson is a junior majoring in English and minoring in Economics. Her time working with small literary organizations during her time at Barnard has shown her the diversity of facets that make up the busy world of publishing, and she is thrilled to be learning more about that with Abrams Books this summer in their children's editorial department.

 

Marlee Montgomery '26

Marlee Montgomery is a rising Junior majoring in Sociology with a Concentration in Race and Ethnicity and a minor in Political Science. A lifelong dancer, Marlee aims to combine her passion for the arts with activism, diversifying and promoting equitable access to dance. This summer, she will be interning at Ballet Tech, a tuition-free NYC Public School for Dance that provides access to world-class dance education for urban youth.

Moksha Akil '26

Moksha Akil is an intern at BOMB magazine, a magazine with a mission of uplifting artists' voices. She is a rising junior at Barnard College from Long Island, NY pursuing a double major in History (with a concentration in Intellectual History) and Dance. She is a choreographer, writer, and photographer with a keen enthusiasm for the fusion of art and creative expression with editorial. Moksha hopes to always create, and make at least one really cool thing.

Lily Mooney '26

Lily Mooney is a rising junior at Barnard studying English, Film, and Gender Studies. All of these come together in the very exciting work they are doing this summer as an intern to Christie Herring Campaign Productions, working with the filmmaker and her advisors to create radically queer and informative media. Campaign Productions is behind award-winning documentaries such as The Campaign, The Big Scary "S" Word, Code: Debugging the Gender Gap, and, most recently, 23 Mile.

Claire Killian '26

Claire Killian is a rising Junior at Barnard majoring in Art History and Religion, and enjoys taking language classes in French, Hungarian, and Latin as electives. This summer she is interning with the Williamsburg Biannual, a new art show in Brooklyn organized by artists, for artists. In the future, Claire aspires to a PhD in Art History, and is eager to apply what she learns working with the Williamsburg Biannual to her future studies.

Alexandra Arredondo '25

Alexandra Arredondo is a rising Senior at Barnard College, majoring in both Film Studies and Political Science with a minor in Spanish. Currently, she interns at Anthology Film Archives, assisting mainly the Departments of Design and Communication. She also continues to dedicate much of her time towards her position as the Head Archivist at WKCR, Columbia University’s student-ran radio station. Outside of campus life, Alexandra is the head manager at a local nonprofit movie theater in the Upper West Side dedicated to screening both foreign and independent films. When Alexandra graduates, her goal is to specialize in film restoration so that one day she can preserve Latin American films (both fiction and non-fiction) surrounding the topics of protest and revolution.

Jasmine Richards '26

Jasmine Richards is an actor, director, writer, and musician currently studying Theatre and English at Barnard. She works to tell stories that are funny, strange, and important to someone. This Summer, Jasmine is working as the assistant to film and television director Jamie Babbit (But I'm a Cheerleader, A League of Their Own, Russian Doll, and more) on set for the fourth season of Only Murders in the Building.

 

Miranda Paiz '25

Miranda Paiz is a theatrical producing intern working under Tony Award-winning producer Rachel Sussman (Suffs, Parade) at Soto Productions this summer. At Barnard, Miranda is a chemistry major who leads in student theatre and as PA Coordinator in the Glicker-Milstein Theatre. Her theatrical work focuses on the intimate realism of stories that elevate diversity, equity and inclusion in the theatre. Miranda's excited to translate her educational producing experiences into professional ones at Soto this summer.

Sofia Reecer '25

Sofia Reecer is a rising senior who loves to write, most recently for Latenite Theatre, Double Exposure Film Journal, and as Barnard’s Media Relations Intern. She also works with The Creative Process Podcast. Sofia is an English major (with creative writing and film concentrations), and she studies Portuguese at Columbia. In the future, she hopes to work in journalism or dramatic writing. This summer, Sofia is a literary management intern at Stageplays Theatre, a small production company which dedicates itself to bringing new playwrights' projects into workshop.

Iman Taha '25

Iman is a rising senior from Istanbul, Turkey. She is pursuing a double B.A. in Art History Visual Arts Concentration and Architecture. Iman is also a photographer who primarily works on street and documentary photography. Over the last two summers, she has worked in both of the fields she specializes in. This summer, she is working as a gallery intern at A.I.R. Gallery, working on cataloging, helping with publicity, and other components of creating a gallery experience.

 

Abigail Sullivan '25

Abigail Sullivan is an intern at Van Der Plas Gallery. Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Abigail is a rising senior studying art history. She has previously worked as a nine-month curatorial intern at The American Wing of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, culminating in a publication on early 20th century female painters in NYC, as well as a gallery intern at Studio Gallery. This summer, she is excited to dig in to more archives, both physical and digital in preparation for graduate studies; she also plans to travel to Paris, France for several weeks to work on her senior thesis.

 

Sofía Trujillo '25

Sofía Trujillo is a writer and multimedia artist originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is currently based in New York City, where she attends Barnard College and studies English with a concentration in Creative Writing and minors in Translation Studies. Sofía’s work is concerned with the innumerable things that exist beneath the surface of speech and action. Through her writing, she hopes to not only make them visible but to release them of their shame, by bringing a shrewd critical eye, a liberating sense of honesty, and self-effacing humor. This summer she is working at CULTURED Magazine as an Editorial Intern, where she will contribute to their mission to serve as a “trusted vehicle for discovery” at the intersection of art, design, and style. During her time at CULTURED and with GRoWing the Arts, Sofía hopes to help foster an artistic community that is less insular, blinkered and inward-looking.

About Growing the Arts

Note that applications to the 2025 cohort will open in January 2025. Current Barnard students who are interested in the program should fill out the Summer Programs Interest Form here.

GRoWing the Arts recognizes the need to ensure the existence of pipelines of talented students from all backgrounds into arts work. It challenges students to connect their academic coursework with experience in internship and research settings, providing opportunities for productive cross-disciplinary conversations about the lived experience of contemporary arts work.

Selected students have access to an internship stipend and funding for housing. Students can express interest in any field of artistic expression (dance, visual arts, performance arts, writing, etc.). The program requires that students work in arts organizations for 30-35 hours per week from the last week of May until the first week of August (10 weeks). They attend regular all-cohort workshops and programs led by the faculty co-directors and/or staff of Beyond Barnard. These programs include workshops on career skills, alumnae panel discussions, and cross-cohort conversations about ongoing work.

At the conclusion of the program, students present a project of their own design at a conference for all participants, attended by faculty, supervisors, alumnae, and other guests. Questions about participation in GRoWing the Arts can be directed to beyondbarnard@joe-yan.net.

Application Process

Applications will open in February 2025. Current Barnard students interested in receiving updates about the program should fill out the 2025 Summer Programs form.

GRoWing the Arts is open to current first years, sophomores, and juniors. All majors (and undecided students) are eligible to apply. GRoWing the Arts internships can be at for- or non-profit organizations. International students are eligible, though it is highly recommended to consult with the Office of International Student Services to discuss necessary steps regarding Curricular Practical Training.

Applicants submit a resume and essays that help the selection committee understand why they are a strong fit for the program. Especially strong essays speak specifically to the reasons why a candidate is interested—not just in arts work generally—but in the cross-disciplinary setting of the GRoWing the Arts program in particular. Applications are typically due on the Friday before Spring Break at 5PM Eastern.

Please note: while students are asked to indicate whether they have already been selected for an internship at the time of application, they are not required to have finalized the details by the application deadline. The application will ask applicants to indicate how far along they are in either (a) defining in partnership with faculty and an organization or (b) applying for an internship for which they will use GRoWing the Arts funding.

Students who apply but are not chosen for a GRoWing the Arts Internship Grant will automatically be considered for a Beyond Barnard Internship Grant.

Previous Participants

Barnard Graduates

  • Lauren Belcher, Social Media Assistant, Dr. Martha Eddy

  • Taylor Bluestine, Communications and Programs Associate, A.I.R. Gallery

  • Kendall Bottjer, Co-Outreach Coordinator, Columbia Ballet Collaborative

  • Naomi Coke

  • Estee Dechtman, Guest Services & Operations Assistant, Disney Theatrical Group

  • Anna Garrity

  • Uma Halsted, Artist Studio and Gallery Assistant, Damien Ding at D. D. D. D.

  • Campbell Ives, Program & Event Intern, Movement Research

  • Elm McKissick

  • Isabella Pechaty, Post-Baccalaureate Fellow, Athena Film Festival

  • Isabella Rafky, Gallery Associate, J. Lohmann Gallery

  • Amanda Samimi

  • Yifan Zhong

  • Rose Elliott

  • Abigail Everett

  • Grace Meinzer
  • Annie Poole
  • Isabel Stern

  • Anna Olivia Sommer, Arts On Site

  • Tobi Lee. A.I.R. Gallery

  • Thaleia Dasberg, Kids Access Press Team

  • Sabrina Bohn, The Leshne Agency

  • Sophia Sowinski, The Museum of Modern Art, New York

  • Vanessa Tasé Sueiro, Arts On Site

  • Idea Reid, Climate Museum

  • Christine Wong, Groove With Me, Inc.

  • Jubilee Park, Yetunde The Artist/ SLACHOUZ

  • Lauren Belcher, The Center for Fiction

Current Barnard Students

  • Layla Faraj '25

  • Tess Inderbitzin '25
  • Zibia Bardin '25, New Perspectives Theatre Company
  • Idea Reid '25
  • Camila Grunberg '25, Climate Museum
  • Jazze Wingard '26, Killer Films
  • Tomisin Fasosin '25, Women Make Movies