IPE Photography Archives Internship

Venice Arts & The Institute for Photographic Empowerment
Photography Archives Internship

Venice Arts is an innovative arts center that brings talented artists together with low-income young people to nurture their creativity, imagination, and talent. Our programs focus on those whose access to the arts, as artists or audience, has been limited.

The Institute for Photographic Empowerment (IPE) is a partnership between Venice Arts and USC Annenberg School for Communication to support the study and practice of participant-produced documentary projects in photography, film, and digital media. The Institute is a resource for people from around the globe-photographers, filmmakers, academics, researchers, and project participants-to share ideas, learn from one another, and develop the field.

The first such Institute of its kind in the world, IPE supports a virtual center on the web, annual conferences, and academic learning and research related to participant-produced photography and film. Additionally, it provides new opportunities for the traditionally disenfranchised to use their own images to communicate directly with policymakers about the social issues that profoundly affect their lives: HIV/AIDS, poverty, environmental degradation.

We are pleased to offer this summer internship through the Getty Multicultural Undergraduate Internships program.

Eligibility

This internship is for outstanding students who are members of groups currently underrepresented in the visual arts: individuals of African American, Asian, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Islander descent. It is limited to currently enrolled undergraduates who reside in or attend college in Los Angeles County, who will have completed at least one semester of college by June 2008, and who will not graduate before December 2008.

Internship Description

This is a ten-week, full-time (40 hours per week) position. The pay is $3,500 for the summer ($350 per week). The work week will be Monday-Friday. The position is scheduled to start in early June and end in August.

The intern’s duties will include the creation of an Archives Handbook for participant produced documentary projects to be included in IPE’s archives, prepare Venice Arts’ image collection for archiving purposes, maintain and expand IPE’s web presence, help moderate interactive web forums, and respond to public interest and inquiries about IPE.

Qualifications

The ideal intern for this position is a photography student comfortable with digital image production. Expertise in digital photo manipulation using Photoshop, understanding of website maintenance, and an interest in research is required. She or he should be well organized, motivated, detail-oriented, and able to communicate well with others. Experience in digital archives preferred. An interest in documentary photography preferred.

How to Apply

A cover letter expressing your interest, along with your résumé, should be submitted electronically by email to the Program Manager of IPE, Pablo Toledo, at Pablo@joinipe.org. Phone enquiries are discouraged.

Applications will be accepted until May 10, 2008 or until an intern is hired.