Los Angeles, CA 90007
Reporting to artworxLA’s Creative Youth Development Manager, the Marketing Intern’s primary project will focus on arts nonprofit brand strategy—particularly creative storytelling and design—and will offer deep insight into artworxLA’s mission, teaching philosophy, and creative methodologies. The intern will engage in every stage of the communications process, from developing marketing strategies and crafting messages to creating visual and digital content. The internship will culminate in a final project: a proposed Brand Guide that outlines copywriting and design style guidelines to be used for program collateral throughout the year.
In addition to the Primary Supervisor, a team of professional mentors—including designers, copywriters, and social media managers—will support the intern throughout their workflow. This guidance will allow the intern to:
- collaborate with a team to develop a brand positioning statement—what artworxLA does, what makes us unique, who we serve, and why we exist in the arts and culture ecosystem;
- create mood boards to explore an artworxLA aesthetic and define the visual elements that shape our storytelling,
- determine a palette of 3–8 brand colors that define artworxLA’s and establish visual identity guidelines to maintain consistency across platforms,
- illustrate graphics in their own personal style that communicate problem/solution statements and idealized realities, foundational marketing concepts for arts advocacy campaigns,
- propose new wordmark logo designs for individual programs that complement artworxLA’s existing logo while supporting cohesive world-building across campaign collateral,
- collaborate on developing an artworxLA brand manifesto that articulates the organization’s core message, tone, visual aesthetic, and intended emotional impact,
- draft a narrative component (dialogue, monologue, or narration) to support the Production Intern in producing a brand launch video or arts advocacy campaign, and
- draft social media content—including short-form copy and visual materials—to highlight student programs, community partnerships, and other organizational activities.
These project components will provide the intern with hands-on experience aligning creative direction with organizational objectives to enhance visibility, deepen community engagement, and strengthen support for arts education throughout Los Angeles County.
In addition to their primary project, the interns will engage in a variety of daily tasks that build creative and professional skills. The intern will participate in regular check-ins with supervisors that connect day-to-day tasks to big-picture concepts, address questions and mediate any confusion, and support their individual growth. Ongoing creative review sessions will build comfort in receiving feedback from staff and mentors on design, messaging, and production techniques. Interns will also join portions of weekly staff meetings and communications team check-ins to learn how departmental planning, messaging, and production workflows operate within a nonprofit arts organization.
To highlight the cultural treasures of SPA 6: South Los Angeles, interns will take part in special visits to nearby cultural institutions in Exposition Park, such as the California African American Museum, the USC Fisher Museum of Art, 24th Street Theatre, and others, gaining broader exposure to LA’s arts ecosystem. Interns will also participate in field trips to Special Group’s headquarters (with transportation provided by Special/artworxLA via HopSkipDrive), where they will meet creative professionals from Special’s team and clients including Uber, Hanes, Fox Sports, Apple, Nike, and local production studios. These activities will provide a well-rounded understanding of the creative and logistical components of marketing beyond a nonprofit arts perspective.
Candidates should be passionate about the arts, eager to work as part of a team, and interested in pursuing arts education, marketing, or digital media production as a career path. Ideal candidates will have completed at least one creative project and one group project, either at school or through another activity. Some experience in media or visual arts, creative writing, or design is helpful—particularly familiarity with at least one creative software or tool. This might be one of the following: Procreate, Canva, Photoshop, or Illustrator for graphic design/illustration; Premiere, iMovie, or CapCut for video editing; or experience with cameras or lighting. Most importantly, candidates should be curious and willing to ask questions and share ideas with others.
artworxLA brings arts education to alternative high school students through ongoing workshops led by professional artists and opportunities to showcase their work in museums and cultural centers. Every year, more than 750 students across Los Angeles County participate, gaining creative skills, building confidence, and learning practical skills they can use in school, college, and future careers—all while experiencing the healing power of the arts.
Submit a resume and cover letter to internships@artworxla.org. Any questions or requests for application support can be directed to carlos@artworxla.org.