2008 Featured Alumni Artists: Internship experiences
Adrianna Arambula, Lindsay Lopez and Zaira Hernandez
By Zaira Hernandez
Adrianna and Lindsay's artwork |
What is art? And how does art influence our lives? These are two questions that I kept asking myself as I went through my Web Internship position with Ryman Arts. As an alumna of Ryman Arts, I share the experience of being part of an organization that is entirely dedicated to helping youth recognize their artistic talents and succeed in life. One of the goals of Ryman Arts is to keep its alumni involved. Some Ryman Arts alumni have benefited from different job positions and internships that are offered throughout the year. I interviewed two staff members and Ryman Alumni, Adrianna Arambula and Lindsay Lopez. They have different interests and their careers vary as well. Adrianna Arambula is a fifth year Architecture student at Cal Poly Pomona. She is currently the Ryman Arts Education Coordinator and her job is to assist with the preliminary planning and organization of fall classes. She also served as the Exhibition Intern in 2007. Lindsay is studying Journalism at Pepperdine University, and she is the Archive Intern for this summer 2008. She is responsible for adding and updating information about the Ryman art collection. Although these women are not pursuing degrees in the arts, there is one thing that Adrianna and Lindsay have in common: their passion for the arts and community. Besides being indispensable employees at Ryman Arts, Adrianna, and Lindsay continue to create art in diverse ways, from sketching a new design for a building to painting during their free time. All three of our internships have been funded by the Getty Foundation as part of the Getty Undergraduate Multicultural Internship Program.
"Art is the greatest opportunity, I have to leave this world better than it was when I entered it." Adrianna Arambula, (Ryman ‘04).
Interview with Adrianna Arambula
What is Art?
I create art in the form of buildings – as a design student, I draw inspiration from a million different things depending on the project I’m designing for. Whether it’s gathering inspiration from the present culture in designated site area, or designing to reduce the impact on nature, or just dealing with issues of aesthetics such as the way light filters through a particular material or issues of transparency or color or materiality – the possibilities for inspiration for a building are endless.
What does art bring into your life?
Art brings a sense of relief to my life – on occasion things enter my mind and I might not know how to handle it, but art acts as an outlet to express these things.
What was your concept of the arts before and after you graduated from Ryman Arts?Honestly, before Ryman, I didn’t know the talent for art existed within me – my high school art teacher asked me to apply out of nowhere and I was accepted! Throughout and after Ryman, not only has my concept of the arts changed, but my concept of life. Not only can I participate in something that I love doing, but I can lead a happy and successful life while doing so.
What did you enjoy the most about your internship?
My internship as Exhibition intern was a great experience. What I enjoyed the most was witnessing everything that goes into a non-profit organization. I have a much more profound appreciation for everything that was done for me when I was a student. Currently as Education Coordinator, I get to take that appreciation a step further and actually have a small part in the students’ art education. Seeing not only the working artists, but alumni artists, and other working professionals who are on the Ryman Board of Directorss opened my eyes even more to the many opportunities for careers in the arts.
How did you decide to work at an Art organization?
Well, I decided to work in the arts because it helps feed this endless creative streak I have within me. It allows me to view everyday things in life differently than anybody else would – we all have such different perspectives. And working for Ryman Arts gives me an even better sense of fulfillment with helping high school students who have so much passion and are so eager to express it! The most valuable experience of being involved in the arts world is experiencing everybody’s varying points of view. It allows me to open my mind to new ways of thinking and find inspiration in an otherwise unnoticed place.
What is your vision for Ryman Arts?
I see BIG things in the future of Ryman arts – the one thing I would love to see the most would be to be able to allow more students in – the most passionate ones aren’t always the most talented, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get their chance to change their lives too.
What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?
Always such a difficult question; as of now, I’m undecided as to whether or not I am actually going to become a licensed architect, but I will be involved in design and the arts – I don’t think any other career could fulfill my need for creativity.
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The Day Dreamer |
“Whether you’re a doodler, a serious art student or a world-renowned artist, you must practice if you want to improve and grow. It’s probably the most important habit I learned as a Ryman Arts student."
Lindsay Lopez, Archive Intern. (Ryman ‘05)
interview with Lindsay Lopez
What is Art?
Art is something indispensable. It’s indispensable because it is a mark of human emotion and imagination. Art is drawing inspiration from the world and sharing your interpretation of it. Anyone is capable of generating art--and I love that universality. A Renaissance Master, a graffiti artist, a Crayola-toting five-year old; they all have something to say, from their own experiences, through their own media.
What does art bring into your life?
Strangely enough, art brings both intense discipline and relaxation to my life. When I am powerfully inspired by some emotion or event, I work hard to study the subjects involved and slowly, carefully execute my vision. It may require lots of preliminary planning and sketching, or playing with hues and adding little by little until I’m truly satisfied with a color. Other times, I just start brushing, dabbing, and layering on a blank canvas without a plan in mind—just to hang out and paint for an afternoon. Just for fun.
What was your concept of the arts before and after you graduated from Ryman Arts?Whether you’re a doodler, a serious art student or a world-renowned artist, you must practice if you want to improve and grow. It’s probably the most important habit I learned as a Ryman Arts student. It’s helpful to take a sketchbook with you wherever you go… Some of the best artists I know take advantage of some non-traditional materials (think gym shorts, backpacks, napkins…) because they are ALWAYS practicing, and they like to create art as soon as inspiration strikes them.
What do you enjoy the most about your internship?
Multi-tasking! People who work in the arts frequently share tasks and responsibilities (especially at smaller museums and organizations). You do a lot of different things, so you don’t get bored and you get to work as a team. It helps to be flexible and care a lot about where you’re at and who you’re helping. Part of my job is to ensure that we know where the artworks are located, what condition they're in, and that we have photographs of them. I also do research to learn more about where and when the artworks come from. Sometimes this information is obvious; other times, it requires a little bit of detective work.
What is the most valuable experience of being involved in the art world?
Seeing generosity abound! People of varied age, occupation, income and involvement all contribute to the survival of the arts. Generosity might emerge in the form of a million dollar donation, a docent leading museum tours or a parent offering to drive a carpool to Ryman Arts.
What is your vision for Ryman Arts?
To spread awareness about the program; if more people know about the program, we increase our chances of getting more funding, support, and resources. Then, we can reach more young artists.
My personal experience; Zaira Hernandez
My experience as a Web Intern with Ryman Arts was extraordinary. I helped update its content, created a new slideshow gallery, and added some Flickr galleries as well. I worked with Dream Weaver and Photoshop. It was not only web designing experience that I gained through this internship but also the opportunity to see Ryman Arts’ work behind the scenes. Lindsay Lopez and I helped with the installation and de-installation of the 2008 Student Gallery, and other projects. One of the things that I learned was to communicate my plans and ideas with the other interns that I met at the Getty tours. It is surprising to see how sharing your ideas with other people have led other artists to better opportunities. I plan to continue pursuing my careers in Mass Communications and Fine Arts at the University of California Berkeley for the next three years and after I obtain my two degrees, I will be looking for more exciting experiences that could expose me to the arts world. One of my goals is to own my own magazine, and to find a way in which I can be as involved as I can in my two passions art and writing.
As from my own perspective I can say that art exists everywhere. I call art all that allows me to create. One of the things that I like the most about art is to know that there is no limit for creativity. Anything could be an inspiration to an artist; from the saddest night to the most beautiful day. There is one quote that caught my entire attention as I began to surf the Ryman Arts’ website on my first week as a Web Intern. “Be inordinately infatuated with the world, its people, its history and geography. Let your eyes speak to your heart and your heart to your hand,” by Herbert D. Ryman. This quote opened my eyes to a broader view of who I want to become in life. There are so many different ways in which I could describe art in these last sentences but there is just one meaning that I would like to share with you. Art is that connection between your thoughts, your visions, and your heart. I strongly believe that to be an artist one has to be a well-rounded person who knows how to apply art in any situation in life.
2006 Featured Alumni Artists:
Michelle Wiener and Oscar Magallanes
