Community Arts

Internship Details

An internship is required for the Arts, Community, and Education: Master of Education in Community Arts program.  After completing 15 credits of coursework, students will complete 150 hours of fieldwork in an internship setting related to their professional goals and specialization. The internship is accompanied by a seminar. This provides an opportunity for practical application of the conceptual frameworks and competencies developed in the coursework, and allows the student to cultivate relationships with other professionals in the field.

The internship helps the student to expand upon skills predefined by the student, the on-site supervisor, and the Lesley supervisor. The goals set by the student should contribute to the goals of the sponsoring organization.

The setting of the internship should reflect the professional interests, skills, goals, and previous experiences of the student. Given the diversity of interests students bring to the Community Arts Program, internship sites can be found in Boston, throughout the United States, or in other countries. Regardless of location, all interns have the guidance of both on-site supervision and Lesley supervision through initial, mid-semester, and final evaluations.

Under the guidance of the Community Arts Internship Coordinator, a site supervisor, and a Lesley supervisor, students use program resources, including a well-developed internship data base, a Community Arts student network, and other networks, to secure an appropriate internship. Further details are available in the Internship Manual, which is available to current program students via the Community Arts section of myLesley. 

See a sample of past and present Community Arts internship sites:

Integrated Arts Specialization

• River Tree Arts, Kennebunk, Maine
• Urbano, Jamaica Plain Brewery building, MA
• Village Elementary School, Gorham, ME

Multicultural Education Specialization

• Cooperative Artists Institute, Jamaica Plain, MA
• Cultural Agents at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
• Girls, Inc., Lowell, MA
• Roots and Shoots, Jane Goodall Institute, Boston, MA

Theater Studies Specialization

• The Theater Offensive, Cambridge, MA
• The Oxford St. Players, Cambridge, MA
• Pacific Rim Charter School, Hyde Park, MA
• Marblehead Little Theater, Marblehead, MA

Visual Art Specialization

• Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
• Griffin Museum, Winchester, MA
• Revolving Museum, Lowell, MA
• Roxbury Center for the Arts, Roxbury, MA

Community Media Specialization

• Arlington Enrichment Collaborative for Middle School Youth, Arlington, MA
• Emerson College Archives, Boston, MA
• RAW Artworks, Lynn, MA
• Community Art Center, Cambridge, MA