How to Not Suck at Your Art Gallery Internship

Experts give tips on how to be a knock-out intern.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Starting a career in art can be difficult. It's a is highly nuanced place that's tough to navigate. Also, it's a cutthroat environment with galleries battling the economy and competition to stay open. This means that interns need to be at the top of their game to stay afloat in most galleries. We wanted to give you some advice on how to be the best art gallery intern ever. 

In an effort to give you the best advice, we've reached out to various galleries in cities all over the US to find out what they look for in an intern. Check out our tips on How to Not Suck at Your Art Gallery Internship.

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Even though you really want to intern at a gallery, be selective.

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Make sure you are serious about the opportunity.

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Regard your internship as if it was an extended interview.

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You're not going to get to the top on the first day.

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Remember that anything and everything is a resource.

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Be engaged with the gallery; don't just do your job.

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Absorb as much information as you can about how your art gallery manages itself.

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Be thorough when tasks are assigned to you.

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You're not too good for any task.

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You're not too good for any task.

Nobody starts at the top. You have to start at the bottom and earn your art world cred. Margery Gossett at Artspace111 in Fort Worth, TX had an interesting story to share:

"I was an unpaid intern at Artspace111 three years ago while in college, and now I'm the gallery director at the same gallery. I oversee the interns at Artspace111. When interns ask me for advice I always remind them that they are not too good to mop the floors, take out the trash, address and stamp hundreds of mailings, and run errands. I have done all of those and many other mundane tasks as an unpaid intern, paid intern, paid assistant, and full time gallery director. Galleries are such small operations that everyone pitches in, including owners, to help make the gallery look and operate better."

Have a good attitude, no matter what.

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