Students in the humanities often hear the same false narrative — there are no jobs in the arts. Jessica Mace is challenging that idea by overseeing a booming Art History internship program that’s helping students see for themselves that there are, in fact, many opportunities.
“Students get to peek behind the curtain and gain access to the inner workings of organizations to see the variety of jobs it takes to make an organization run,” says Mace, an assistant professor, teaching stream in the Department of Art History.
“Additionally, the program encourages them to figure out the vast landscape of roles in the cultural sector and helps them see where they might fit in.”
Revamped in 2021, the program has steadily grown over the past five years. There are more students, more employment partners and a broader range of opportunities for students to gain valuable experience and develop professional skills.
“The program allows students to think more deeply about the skills that art history teaches, like critical thinking, visual literacy, research skills, structuring an argument, writing skills and clear oral communication,” says Mace. “These are all highly transferable and sought after.
“In 2021 we started with four partners and five students. Now, we’ve got 30-plus partners and counting! Not every partner takes a student each term, but we’ve had great year-over-year retention with partners and I’m actively adding to our roster as we go.”
Since 2021, the program has hosted 133 students — a surge fueled by the department’s focused effort to create meaningful, high-quality placements.
“We’ve dedicated lots of time in the department into building meaningful, educational placements along with supports for students in collaboration with the team at the Office of Experiential Learning & Outreach Support (ELOS) in Arts & Science,” says Mace. “We’ve thought carefully about the student and partner experience each step of the way.”
This term, 19 students are in placements with 17 different partners such as the Aga Khan Museum, the Toronto Society of Architects, Archives of Ontario, and a collection of Toronto-based art galleries and arts organizations.
Tara Martin’s internship involves exploring an area she hadn’t previously considered.
The third-year student in the art history specialist program and a member of Victoria College is interning with the Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC). She has been working with ADAC’s office staff on a variety of tasks, like creating newsletters and helping with appraisals.
“I wanted to focus on appraisals because it’s an area I had very little prior knowledge of,” says Martin. “While most art history students are familiar with traditional career paths — curator, gallery manager or conservator — the appraisals and art business sectors aren’t often discussed.”
The program allows students to think more deeply about the skills that art history teaches, like critical thinking, visual literacy, research skills, structuring an argument, writing skills and clear oral communication. These are all highly transferable and sought after.
Martin thinks appraisals may be her future career.
“I think it’s always a good idea to try new things when the opportunity presents itself,” she says. “Exploring this side of the art world has shown me how much I enjoy appraisals, and I’ll definitely consider it as a potential career path.”
Her internship has also broadened her perspective on other potential careers.
“Because ADAC works with so many art galleries and arts organizations, I’ve been exposed to a wide range of career possibilities,” she says, calling her time at ADAC “a great opportunity to learn more about the contemporary art scene and market in Canada.”
Hana Lang, a fourth-year art history specialist with a minor in medieval studies, joined Opaloma — an innovative website covering contemporary cultural news across galleries, cultural institutions, restaurants and the retail sector.
“So far, I’ve done some content-making, gallery and artist outreach, as well as general research into art movements, Toronto exhibitions, and current artists for various projects my supervisor has been working on,” says Lang, also a member of Victoria College.
“What I enjoy the most is that the work I’ve done has allowed me to become more connected to the arts in Toronto. This internship has opened doors to opportunities that I normally would have not been able to access, whether that be attending industry events or visiting an artist’s studio.”
Those connections have created a professional network for Lang, who is also benefitting from being a part of professional collaborations.
“The new skills I’ve acquired are related to personal branding in the realm of digital media production,” she says. “Being involved in the development process of curated content for Opaloma, I’ve learned how to film and edit videos. I have additionally been able to apply and specialize my research skills for the production of targeted content.”
Mace is thrilled with the program’s success and notices how students change after their placements, showing boosted self-confidence and renewed enthusiasm for their future careers.
“For some, it’s about confirming the direction they want to go after graduation, while for others it might be figuring out that they really don’t like something and crossing it off their list for the future, which is also valuable,” she says.
“As we’ve built the program, students tell their friends, partners tell their colleagues and collaborators, and things have snowballed. We’re getting more student applications with each round and I’m constantly taking prospective partnership meetings. It’s really exciting. A few students were even hired on part-time or full-time by their placement sites after graduation. How cool is that?!”