Bloomberg Arts Interns (Alana and Alex) started a week before CHARM Summer Publishing Interns (Donaija and Harrison). The first week was all about new beginnings. We were introduced to the team, learned about the organization’s mission, and started to understand how the arts can truly impact education and community. It was the start of something meaningful. During the first week for the CHARM interns, we went to Baltimore Arts Integration Program (BAIP) and actively listened to different teachers and their ideas for teaching future students on how they can follow the curriculum and also incorporate the arts within their lessons as they move forward.
Week two at AED was full of discovery. One of the highlights was our trip to BAIP, where we got to see teachers in action working on arts-integrated lesson plans. This was the first week the teachers started working on their projects. It was inspiring to witness how creativity is being used to transform learning. This week gave us a deeper understanding of the impact AED has in real classrooms. Donaija and Harrison reflected on what we saw at BAIP and described the atmosphere as far as communicating different ways for information to be reached out to students in different grades. This included taking photos giving feedback and using this information to write our first blog post.
The third week we worked with Sam Green, Schools Program manager, to help organize the AED Arts Directory. The directory is used to help schools book visits and programs with arts organizations, but it needed a bit of cleaning up. The BAI interns helped pick out any bugs that were left in the programming, while the CHARM interns did a full audit of all programs and events listed. We were also able to put together a guide for schools and program leaders on how to book and create programs in the directory.
In CHARM’s fourth week, we returned to BAIP and had conversations with the teachers again. They thoroughly presented and explained their projects, how they can get students to contribute to the lesson and how they can learn from it. The teachers were open to feedback and questions as well. We were familiar with the books that were shown because we had read them ourselves in middle school. CHARM Interns then visited the AVAM and observed the pieces of artworks that were shown. The education director of this museum had answered questions from the interns, which involved questions that connect to the goals when people come into this museum and the most popular exhibits. AVAM mainly shows that creativity can be done no matter what limited materials you have.
In the fifth week for the BAI interns, we took another trip to MICA to visit BAIP. We got to talk to the teachers about their lesson plans and found out that music and art have many ways they can be combined with English classes. The BAI interns also visited the Walters Art Museum where we talked with the education team about how they organize field trips and teach students about the art inside the museum. We got to see many exhibits and learned about different artists. It was like we were the students!
As our internship comes to an end and we prepare to head back to school, we’re leaving with more than just memories. We’re taking with us new skills, fresh perspectives, and a deeper appreciation for the role the arts play in education. From working alongside passionate educators to exploring some of Baltimore’s most inspiring museums, this experience has helped shape the way we see creativity, learning, and community. We are grateful for the time we’ve spent with AED and with each other, and we’re excited to bring everything we’ve learned into the next chapter of our journeys.
Personal Reflections
Arts Every Day was an incredible experience for me. Being able to learn about the arts and how schools integrate them was eye opening. I enjoyed going to the different sites. Art has always been something important to me so getting a behind the scenes look was wonderful. I have worked with AED before by participating in their exhibitions. I got to see how they organized said exhibitions and even got a sneak peek into some of the art that has been submitted. I can’t wait to see my contributions to AED be implemented next year.
My internship with Arts Every Day has been a meaningful and eye-opening experience. I gained a deeper understanding of how the arts can enhance education and help students connect with lessons in creative ways. Visiting BAIP and observing teachers build arts-integrated lesson plans showed me how powerful creativity can be in the classroom. I also enjoyed working on the Arts Directory, knowing our efforts would support schools and arts organizations. This experience has strengthened my communication skills and increased my confidence in professional settings. Most importantly, it reminded me that learning can be both educational and inspiring when art is part of the process.
My experience at Arts Every Day has been inspiring and creative. I’ve visited BAIP and observed teachers discussing ways to connect the arts to the current curriculum. I have reflected on the things that were discussed so I can gain more insight into the goals they had. Then I went to AVAM (America’s Visionary Art Museum) and saw the amazing pieces of artwork that were there. The AVAM showed how creativity can be at its best with any random objects, low budget, or even with toothpicks! Overall, my stay at the arts every day was depicted in the arts and how they can affect others. It has motivated me to pursue a career in the arts so others can analyze different arts, which can catch their eye, and they can all have a different perspective of the focal points.
During my time at Arts Every Day, I was an intern from CHRAM literary magazine working with other interns to get different tasks like learning the teachers’ learning different types of teaching styles using the art forms to help kids focus and pay attention. During our first week, we went to BAIP and learned about their different ways of teaching by teachers showing how kids are learning in the classroom. We work with Sam, one of our coworkers at Arts Every Day, with whom we helped in making a direct audit, which is extremely useful as it can help teachers. Throughout the internship, I have seen the different ways I can help people around the city.
