The Getty Foundation recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of its Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program and welcomed the 153 new interns of 2007 with special presentations by L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and theater troupe Culture Clash at the Getty Villa. Launched in the wake of Los Angeles’ civil unrest in 1992, the Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program seeks to increase staff diversity within visual arts organizations. ‘This is a wonderful way to encourage students to develop an interest in careers in the visual arts while at the same time to support organizations in our community,’ says Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Foundation. The selective program attracts outstanding students for internships at more than 86 organizations across Los Angeles County. Since 1993, more than 2,000 students have completed internships at museums and arts organizations large and small across Los Angeles County. The program’s success inspired the Los Angeles County Art Commission to create a parallel program in 2000 focusing on the performing and literary arts. As a Multicultural Undergraduate Intern at the Getty in 2004, Rafael Frausto, a Van Nuys native and UC Santa Cruz student, glimpsed a whole new world. ‘It opened up so many doors for me–not just building relationships, but mentally demystifying the art world,’ he says. ‘I didn’t know how large the art world was; I saw how art gets made and I realized it wasn’t impossible for me to be part of it.’ Encouraged by his experience as an intern, Frausto spent a year studying design in Barcelona, and is now freelancing as a graphic designer, while applying for a Fulbright scholarship to study design in Germany. The students are not the only ones who benefit from the program. For many of the arts organizations, the interns provide much-needed staffing each summer. The California African American Museum, under the leadership of executive director, Charmaine Jefferson, is entering its second year as a participant in the Getty Institute’s Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program. “This program provides invaluable assistance for organizations like CAAM through access to future leaders who are not only training to be critical thinkers but whose hearts are already in sync with our mission,’ Jefferson said. ‘At the same time, we can offer an equally important opportunity for students to be mentored and learn what it truly takes to run a nonprofit business through an experience that is hands-on, up close and public service oriented.’ Throughout the summer, in addition to their daily responsibilities as interns, the students will participate in workshops and field trips to broaden their exposure to the regional arts community. They will be visiting the arts community of Pasadena, the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, the African American Museum in Exposition Park, 18th Street/Highways in Santa Monica, the Fowler and the Hammer Museums at UCLA, and other sites.
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