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I’m Alexandra, a third-year student in the Honours History program. This summer, I interned with the Women’s Art Society of Montreal (WASM) thanks to the generous financial support of the Arts Student Employment Fund. While studying at 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ has allowed me to explore my academic interests in history, ethical philosophy, and feminist politics, I’ve always wanted the chance to pursue my more creative interests and thus decided to pursue an internship in the arts this summer. I was drawn to WASM because of its reputation as a community-based non-profit that supports local female artists. Founded in 1894 to promote women’s involvement in the arts and culture of Montreal, WASM’s history and mission resonated deeply with my interests and values. Today, the organization organizes lectures, exhibitions, and educational programming that support local female artists and patrons of the arts across Montreal.

The main project I worked on for WASM was designing a lecture series for their members. This involved reaching out to dozens of local artists, art historians, and museum curators and crafting a lineup of speakers to give lectures to WASM’s board and members over the next six months. I conducted meetings with each potential speaker to discuss their expertise and potential lecture topics. Based on these meetings, I selected five speakers to participate in this event series. The second project that I worked on was designing a budget outline for the implementation of art workshops at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. This was initially going to be my main project for the summer, but WASM was running behind on administrative planning and thus reassigned me to focus on the lecture project. However, I still did a good amount of research on the anticipated costs of the workshops, and my work will be passed along to whoever takes on that project going forward.

My background in history helped me to approach both projects with experience in research and effective communication. My role required me to do a great deal of research on local art experts, potential venues, and the Montreal art scene in general, none of which were topics I was previously knowledgeable about. However, my history studies equipped me with knowledge on how to conduct thorough research, organize a vast quantity of information, and ask for questions and guidance when needed, which allowed me to be successful in completing my projects.

Some of the highlights of my internship were the conversations I had with art historians and curators around Montreal. One particular connection I made was with a local artist and gallery owner, Peter Hart, and his wife, Francine Bellomo, the gallery’s curator. I went to visit their gallery in the Old Port in June, and they took me through the gallery, explained how they opened it, and gave me a lot of interesting information on the details of running an art exhibition. I really enjoyed connecting with them and getting to physically engage with Montreal’s art scene.

A challenge I faced was efficient communication with the rest of WASM. Since I worked mostly remotely and my supervisor had to leave Montreal abruptly a few weeks into my internship, it was challenging to communicate with her and keep her updated on the status of my project. Looking for more guidance, I reached out to a senior member of the organization and asked her to help me with my projects. She and I were able to meet in person, and she gave me ideas for potential speakers, answered questions I had about the budget design, and offered recommendations for local events to attend to further engage with the Montreal arts community. I’m glad that I handled the situation proactively and was able to make this connection with her.

I’m ultimately very grateful for my experience this summer. I hope to be involved in many non-profits and community organizations throughout my life, and I think I’ve learned a great deal about event planning, community outreach, and project design from this experience. I also learned a lot about how many different sectors of the art world there are, which makes me want to take more art history classes at 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ as I finish my degree.

The financial support I received made it possible for me to take on this unpaid position without having to worry about covering my basic living expenses over the summer. I put the funding that I received mainly towards buying groceries and paying rent. I had a great summer experience, and I am incredibly grateful the Arts Undergraduate Society through the Arts Student Employment Fund for making this possible for me!