New CDS Internship Program

Center for Documentary Studies Announces New Internship Program

The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University is accepting applications for nine-month internship positions that will begin in September 2010 and end in May 2011. The interns will gain broad experience in the documentary field, with particular focus on exhibiting, publishing (print and web), and producing a range of materials related to the documentary arts. Two positions are available. (See more detailed descriptions below.) The interns will be based at CDS in Durham, North Carolina, for the 2010-11 academic year.

To qualify, applicants should be recent college graduates (no more than three years out of school) who demonstrate excellent communications abilities, pay careful attention to details, balance initiative and drive with congeniality and team play, show creative talent, and exhibit achievement in some aspect of the documentary arts. CDS internships require a commitment of 30 hours per week, and interns receive a monthly stipend of $1,000.

Interns will be expected to participate as staff colleagues in all CDS activities.

The Center for Documentary Studies offers an interdisciplinary program in the documentary arts—photography, audio, film/video, narrative writing, and other means of creative expression—that emphasizes active engagement in the world beyond the university campus. Much more than a traditional educational center, CDS encourages experiential learning in diverse environments outside the classroom, with an emphasis on the role of individual artistic expression in advancing broader societal goals. Programs range widely to include university undergraduate courses, popular summer institutes that attract students from across the country, international awards competitions, award-winning book publishing and radio programming, exhibitions of new and established artists in our own galleries, and fieldwork projects in the U.S. and abroad. READ MORE: http://cds.aas.duke.edu

To apply to be part of the 2010-11 internship program, send a cover letter, resume, writing sample, one letter of recommendation, and a personal statement of goals and intent for the internship to Lauren Hart at lh90@duke.edu. Please send all materials as electronic files with “internship applicant (applicant’s name) – (exhibitions or publishing)” in the e-mail subject line. Ideally, the recommendation letter should be sent as a PDF directly from the person who is recommending the applicant, with the same information in the e-mail subject line.

Deadline: June 1, 2010.

Exhibitions

The exhibitions intern is involved in exhibitions management, planning, program development, and outreach; and is responsible for coordinating the Traveling Exhibitions program at CDS, which extends broadly to take the documentary arts to audiences across the country. A successful candidate will have experience in any or all of the following: photography and audio production, exhibits management; a keen understanding of documentary work; excellent skills as a communicator and team player; very strong organizational skills; and enthusiasm about working with community, school, and university groups, reaching populations of all ages and backgrounds.

The exhibitions intern, supervised by the Exhibitions Director, assists with in-house exhibition fabrication, installation, maintenance, and take-down; organization and inventory of preparatory materials and exhibits in storage; public programming for exhibitions; outreach to Duke University, local community, and school groups, including exhibition and other public events awareness; and processing submissions and handling return correspondence.

Coordinating the traveling exhibitions program, under the umbrella of the Exhibitions Program, includes overseeing transition of select exhibits into traveling exhibitions; ordering crates; generating contracts/condition reports; fabricating text panels; organizing shipping; managing existing traveling exhibitions scheduling and paperwork and facilitating related programming; overseeing physical maintenance of exhibitions in storage and on the road; managing communications with existing and potential venues; and marketing traveling exhibits while also marketing CDS as a whole through web, direct mail, and phone communications.

Publishing

The Center for Documentary Studies publishes a quarterly newsletter, Document; a First Book Prize in Photography series, with Duke University Press; a series featuring the work of young photographers, 25 Under 25, with powerHouse Books; a series of books on the documentary arts, with the University of North Carolina Press; and photography books by individual artists. In addition, CDS publishes an active, in-depth website that presents rich multimedia content and requires extensive editorial and production support.

The publishing internship—designed for individuals interested in photography, documentary work, and/or a career in publishing—provides excellent experience in book production and promotion, with crossover responsibilities in all manner of print media (magazines, postcards, brochures, advertisements), including web presentations. The work covers all stages of the editorial and production process, to include internet and library research, proofreading, handling and scanning of art, generating publicity and marketing materials, coordinating advertising, and assisting with online publicity campaigns.

This position also provides the opportunity to see the work of hundreds of practicing photographers and offers the chance to learn about organization and judging of photography competitions. The work includes reviewing photography entries, maintaining submission databases, handling correspondence, and other related tasks.

POSTED: 05/13/10 11:51 PM
CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
TAGS: Jobs and Opportunities