Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) Program Intern
Internship opportunity with PEN America
This paid internship is funded by the Cultural Engagement Internships program and is only available to students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center and Fordham College at Rose Hill.
ARC Program Intern
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)
15 hours/week
Hybrid (remote and in-office)
Start Date: January 30, 2023
End Date: May 8, 2023
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.
At PEN America, ARC safeguards the right to artistic freedom of expression around the world and works to ensure that artists of all disciplines everywhere can live and work without fear. With a global network of 800 organizations providing crucial resources for artists and cultural practitioners at risk, ARC plays the critical role of liaising between threatened artists and the organizations that support them. Since its inception, ARC has assisted more than 500 artists from over 63 countries in receiving direct support, including fellowships and residencies, emergency funding, legal assistance, and advocacy, among other forms of assistance, from partner organizations.
The ARC Program Intern will gain firsthand experience in artist protection work, as well as network building, communications, writing, fundraising, and research in a nonprofit environment, among other skills. Interns assist with reviewing requests for assistance from at-risk artists, communicate with artists as needed to gather more information and vet their case, and work with the threatened artist and with staff to meet the needs of the artist, whether it be helping them to refine applications for fellowships, find emergency funds to apply for, find legal or psychosocial support, or a range of other activities.
RESPONSIBILITIES
This intern will:
- Assist with research and outreach to identify and expand the network of organizations supporting artists at risk
- Be involved in communications with individual artists at risk and the network of organizations that provide them with support, including reviewing artist applications to organizations providing direct assistance
- Support work to identify sources of assistance for artists and development and maintenance of a database inventory of these resources
- Draft profiles of artists and partner organizations for artistsatriskconnection.org
- Draft press releases on violations of artistic freedom around the world
- Perform prospect research and support other fundraising efforts
- Assist with efforts to expand support for the initiative, including media communications
- Research and monitor issues and cases concerning the repression of artistic expression worldwide
- Other tasks as needed
QUALIFICATIONS
- Must be able to provide proof of authorization to intern in the United States
- Must be available 15 hours per week during regular business hours
- Knowledge of and interest in global free expression and artistic freedom issues
- Strong research, writing, organizational, and administrative skills
- Ability to work quickly, stay highly organized, and multitask in a fast-paced environment
- Comfortable with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and G Suite
- Experience managing social media accounts and drafting social media content desirable
- Experience with online databases and website management desirable
- Experience doing prospect research and grant writing
- Experience working with populations at risk and/or refugees a plus
- Proficiency in Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian, Ukrainian, or other languages a big plus
TO APPLY
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to arc@pen.org. Writing samples include but are not limited to college papers, original essays, stories, and articles that may have been previously published, as long as they have been subject to no more than minimal editing by someone other than yourself. Please include the cycle you’re applying for, and your name as the subject of your email (for example, “Spring Cultural Engagement Internship Program – Jane Doe”).
The deadline for applications is January 6, 2023.