Muse Scholars are some of the top performing students at Hunter and have held internships with a number of different arts related organizations and companies around NYC. Here are some highlights of internships held by Muses:
Visual Arts
Tatianna Spotorno (Class of ’22) was an intern at the Frick Art Reference Library, assisting with copyright research, cataloging provenance data, and writing descriptions of artwork in the Photoarchive collection.
Gillian Ochoa (Class of ’21) was a Special Honors Major and a Studio Art Minor. She has held three notable internships as a Muse Scholar, most recently connecting collectors to specialized appraisers with the Appraisers Association of America. In her previous internships, Gillian has worked as a docent for the Jean Michel Basquiat exhibition with the Brant Foundation and worked in the office for Sperone Westwater Gallery.
Isabelle Fernandez (Class of ’19), a Studio Art Major and 2018 Hunter Mellon Arts Fellow, was an education intern at The Frick Collection. Through the Mellon Arts Fellowship, she was able to apply for summer internships at Museums throughout the city. At the Frick, she was responsible for promotional writing and for giving gallery talks to the public.
Gaspare Caruso (Class of ’16) graduated from the Muse Scholar program with a BA in Sociology and attended Hunter’s School of Social Work for an MSW. He served as an arts administrative intern for the New York Academy of Art in Tribeca where he worked with professional artists to organize an online library system and to organize events, including art auctions.
Caruso also volunteered with Smack Mellon, a non-profit art gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Smack Mellon suffered significant damage to its facilities during Hurricane Sandy, and Caruso assisted in the organization’s Sandy Relief Kentucky Derby art auction as well as a Summer Solstice event.
Leah Drayton (Class of ’18) worked in the Hunter Communications Dept. while finishing her studies. She was a recipient of a Mellon Arts Fellowship where she interned at Lincoln Center Theater. Previously she served as a Marketing Intern at CB11, the East Harlem (district 11) Community Board. The Economic Development, Culture & Tourism Committee of CB11 works to strengthen and maintain East Harlem’s cultural assets through promoting collaborations with artists, institutions, community planning and development initiatives, and advocating for the participation of East Harlem artists and cultural programs.
Nelly Gordpour (Class of ’16) served as an intern at theInternational Center of Photography (ICP), the world’s leading institution dedicated to the practice and understanding of photography. She began her internship with ICP during the Summer of 2014, working as a Teaching Assistant for a darkroom photography class and assisting in the day-to-day operations of the Community Programs Department.
In addition to her work at the ICP, Nelly has interned at the Magnum Foundation, an organization that champions documentary photography as an agent of positive social change. She has also volunteered as a docent at the Museum of Tolerance and has been a head photographer at Ziba Film in Long Island, where she has photographed events such as weddings, bar mitzvahs and birthday parties.
Julia Jong (Class of ’16) served as a museum intern at the Asia Society, supervised by the Head of Museum Education Programs. “Through this internship, I got an inside look into how a museum and its corresponding cultural and educational programs are run,” said Jong.
Jong also worked as a teaching assistant for the College Now Summer Art Program at York College. The six-week class is designed to give high school students exposure to color theory and sculpture through the study of relevant art history and various studio projects.
“When I was in the College Now art program two years ago, it was one of the major experiences that steered me towards a career in the arts. It was exciting to be given a chance to do the same for other students,” said Jong.
Joy Scanlon (Class of ’15) worked as a casting intern at fine-art photography house Ryan McGinley Studios, gaining experience working with the photographer as well as scouting for “interesting faces,” or young people without professional modeling experience who fit the photographer’s aesthetic.
Scanlon also interned at Algus Greenspon, an art gallery in the West Village that represents contemporary and “outsider” artists.
Creative Writing/ Journalism
Olivia Baldacci (Class of ’23) was the Communications Coordinator at Girl Be Heard. Previously she was a Communications Intern at Women Between Arts where she created content for their Twitter and Instagram accounts. She was able to secure her job at Girl Be Heard through the CUNY Cultural Corps Program.
Sudeepa Singh (Class of ’20) graduated with a Journalism degree from Hunter. Sudeepa completed an internship at CBS news for 60 minutes during her final Spring Semester. During her internship, COVID-19 hit and she continued to work with CBS from home. Check out this interview with Sudeepa on the adjustment to producing a television show remotely.
Erica Galluscio (Class of ’19) worked as a programming intern in the Literary Department at Symphony Space where she reviewed and selected short stories for the space’s numerous renowned literary programs. She was also the assistant to Dr. Maura Reilly at the Feminist Institute where she assisted in curation and emerging media, and a national feature writer at Her Campus where she wrote monthly advice. Previously, Erica worked as a social media and public relations coordinator for Agora Gallery in Chelsea, a communications intern at the feminist nonprofit Girls Write Now, a product presentation designer at Parragon Publishing, a weekly op-ed writer at the Odyssey Online, and a transcriber for Professor Matthew Knip on the Phillip C. Van Buskirk Archive project. Erica volunteered weekly at Bluestockings, a bookstore and activist center, since 2015 and was a member of their social media team as well. She has presented her research in queer linguistics at several conferences and hopes to pursue a PhD after graduation.
Sara Tabio (Class of ’19) interned with the Academy of American Poets, one of Hunter’s cultural partners, and received an Office of the Arts Summer Internship Award in support of this position.
Sara held a dramaturgy and research apprenticeship at TACT (The Actors Company Theatre), a company of theatre artists that “reveals, reclaims, and reimagines” great plays of literary merit, during the Spring of 2017. TACT is a resident company of NYC’s famed Theatre Row and produces their Mainstage, Off-Broadway productions there in the Beckett Theatre.
Theatre & Dance
Lydia Crozier (Class of ‘24) was a Dance Education Intern with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater in Chicago, IL, working remotely for the company from February to December in 2021. As an assistant to the Dance Education Director, Lydia created music playlists and helped curate the virtual Spring student showcase. To prepare for the Summer Dance Intensive, Lydia designed schedules for classes and teachers, and did inventory work with cost-outs for ordering equipment. In the Summer, she facilitated virtual Zoom classes to support the teacher with music and spotlighting students. In the Fall, Lydia worked on the department budget with the Dance Education Manager and advertised educational programming to various potential audiences using MailChimp and Accept’d.
Padraig Bond (Class of ’23) was an intern at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. He began his work there in the Business and Administration department where he worked with the Finance team on budgeting and fundraising. He worked on the Festival of New York summer 2022, recruiting partners and organizing event information.
Devan Davis (Class of ’20) was a Community Outreach Intern at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater where he helped spread awarenesss about the company as well as current and upcoming shows, traveling to various locations throughout NYC to promote these productions. He also helped gather content for Rattlestick to post on their social media accounts.
Aissatou Bah (Class of ’20) was an apprentice at New York City Center. Previously she was a Social Media Intern at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater where she created monthly media calendars with post ideas for their Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts. She also worked with the marketing team on projects such as designing posters for upcoming performances.
Samantha Dubin (Class of ’17) worked for the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) where she had an internship while a student working in the non-profit group’s TKTS discount ticketing services. She also served as an apprentice at TACT (The Actors Company Theatre).
Maureen Murray (Class of ’17) interned at Caparelliotis Casting, a casting office that works on Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theater productions. Recent Broadway productions that Caparelliotis Casting has worked on include Blackbird, An Act of God, Fish in the Dark, Disgraced, and It’s Only a Play.
Murray previously served as an apprentice at TACT (The Actors Company Theatre), an off Broadway theatre company. There, she assisted in various aspects of theatre administration and production as well as house manages for some performances.
Kiana Carrington (Class of ’17) worked at Theatre For A New Audience in Brooklyn. Before that, she was a fellow at BRIC, working with 4 different arts organizations. While a student she was on the programming committee of the Lincoln Center Student Advisory Council, where she collaborated with staff and other students to develop student-oriented events at the performing arts venue. During the Spring of 2016, Kiana held positions as a marketing intern at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and as a performing arts intern at BRIC.
Kiana previously served as artlife coordinator at the Museum of Arts and Designand as a company management intern at Wicked: the Musical. She described her experience interning at Wicked: the Musical as eye-opening to the world of theatre. Through the position, which was organized through the Broadway League, which provides year-round internships for high school and undergraduate students, she also worked on a benefit concert and assisted producers during rehearsals.
Serafina Tiranno-Cimisi (Class of ’17) was an intern at Caparellotis Casting, which casts Broadway and off Broadway as well as TV and film. She has also served as an apprentice at TACT (The Actors Company Theatre), an off Broadway theatre company. She assisted in various aspects of theatre administration and production as well as house manages for some performances.
Film & Media
Isabel Fox (Class of ’19) interned at Storyville Entertainment a production company that creates content for television, film, branded and multimedia outlets in the Summer of 2016. While interning at Storyville Entertainment, Isabel worked on an MTV International TV Show and assisted in creating a viral video. Isabel also received a summer fellowship from the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW) for a paid summer internship.
Isabel also worked as a production assistant for Columbia University’s New Plays Festival and interned at The Actors Company Theatre (TACT), a resident company of NYC’s famed Theatre Row and produces their Mainstage, Off-Broadway productions there in the Beckett Theatre. Isabel was a committee member of the Met College Group where she worked with local college students to plan events and programs for other students at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Ilana Krugolets (Class of ’17) started a job at ABC News after graduating from Hunter. During her time at Hunter she interned at Limebeat, an award-winning music strategy consultancy and sound production company in New York City, where she worked on design and editing projects. Previously, Ilana interned at The Wooster Group, a company of artists who make theater, dance, and media productions that tour nationally and internationally. Ilana received a summer fellowship from the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW) for a paid summer internship. The program awards funds to female CUNY students. As part of the position, she created a video to promote their summer program.
Ilana also interned at the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, where she edited a variety of TV shows on NYCtv.
Music
Jimmy Platto (Class of ’21), was a Media Studies Major and Theatre Minor working towards the Arts Management & Leadership Certificate, was an A&R and Video Promotions intern at Atlantic Records as well as a work study student at The People’s Improv Theater. At Atlantic, they discovered new artists for future signings and worked on marketing concepts for the roster. Now, Jimmy plans to create some performance art and music of their own.
