Shared Visions Foundation
"Working together to close the gap between needs and resources."

The Arts in Service Internship provides an opportunity for an artist to live and create in a retreat-like setting in exchange for service at an area nonprofit. The purpose of the program is to a) create a connection that might not otherwise occur between a person in the arts (“artist”) and a nonprofit in Durham or Orange County; and b) provide time and space for the artist to work on a specific personal arts project.

The internships are six months in duration with two internships per fiscal year. Each artist intern works with a nonprofit for approximately 20 – 24 hours per week. The placement of artist to nonprofit is based on interests, skills, and needs of both parties. The nonprofit is responsible for scheduling the artist’s work week as well as overseeing any work. The nature of the work to be performed by the artist may not necessarily be arts oriented. Shared Visions Foundation provides monthly grants to the nonprofit with which the artist is paid.

The remainder of the artist’s week is devoted to a personal arts project that will in some way foster growth in his or her craft. This project could include building a visual portfolio for galleries or emerging artist grants, writing music for a CD, completing a book, script, or collection of short stories for submission, etc. In addition to a monthly stipend, each artist intern is provided with a furnished cottage (with utilities) in a retreat-like setting and a space to work on the personal project if needed. The use of a car provided by the Foundation during the six months internship is optional. It is important that the artist intern commits his or her free time to the personal arts project rather than taking advantage of the internship to support other endeavors.

For information about becoming an intern with the Arts in Service program or having an intern work with your nonprofit, please email us at nonprofit@sharedvisions.org.