February 2018 – International Arts & Artists

How to Find a Host Organization

August 22, 2019February 13, 2018 by CEP Intern

We all know that looking for the perfect internship or training program can sometimes feel like searching for a needle in one of Monet’s haystacks paintings! Finding the right host organization can seem like a daunting task, especially when you’re living in a different country. But it can also be a fantastic learning experience that helps you expand your professional network and pushes you outside your comfort zone!

While IA&A can’t find a host organization for you, we can provide recommendations, tips, and tricks to landing your dream internship or training program. We recently caught up with J-1 trainee Sarah for some advice on navigating the application process and snagging the perfect host organization. Keeping reading for 4 ways to find a host organization and start your adventure today!

via GIPHY

NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK

A great place to start looking an internship or training program is on job posting websites like Indeed, Glassdoor, Idealist, or i nternships .com. But did you know that many of the best positions are “invisible”? These positions are not posted to the public because the organization might be looking for someone they already know. This means that you have to do some networking! However, networking doesn’t necessarily have to happen face-to-face. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are great places to look for and connect with potential host organizations.

Sarah, an exchange visitor who trained with a design firm in Florida, told us that she used social media to reach out to studios or artists that inspired her. “For me, I found my (eventual) host through Twitter and Linkedin! You need to find the platform where geeks from your industry gather to share ideas,” she explained, adding “Networking is so important. You never know who you’ll meet!”

So, don’t get caught in the trap of using the same few aggregated internship posting sites as everyone else. Use the many resources at your disposal, whether it’s connecting with host organizations through your professional and academic networks or deciding to send out email inquiries. Even something as easy as following and engaging with interesting organizations on social media can lead to interesting opportunities!

via GIPHY

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Sarah emphasized the importance of doing your research and developing a relationship with a prospective host organization. “Approaching a potential host for an internship is like approaching a potential employer when they’re not even offering a job,” she said. “I had first contacted [my host organization] in university. I didn’t originally contact them in pursuit of an internship. I wanted to become friends first and therefore could see if we would be compatible in working together.”

While pursuing an internship or training program with a potential host organization, it’s important to research the company, their work, and the industry in which they operate. This will give you a good sense of what the company does and what they would be like as a host organization. If you have the chance to meet for an informational interview, “compliment or question parts of their portfolio that intrigue or inspire you” said Sarah. She also recommended asking about their journey as a company and even asking for feedback on your own portfolio. “Almost all professionals were students or interns themselves at one point so they understand!”

via GIPHY

HONE YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Once you’ve found and developed a relationship with a host organization, Sarah advises not to simply stop there! To set yourself apart from other interns, she recommends further strengthening your professional skill set before you start your program. “It was important that I taught myself as much of the basic skills as possible before I arrived, so I didn’t waste any time when I got there,” she told us. “This means that when it comes to participating the actual internship, you can focus on the more industry specific skills you can’t teach yourself, or find online. I’ve learned a lot about time management, specific presentation layout, scaling and other things I don’t think I could have ‘Googled’ on my own.”

via GIPHY

ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE INSPIRED

Think of your internship or training program as an opportunity to test-drive a career, rather than just a place to gain work experience in a professional setting. “Find out who or what inspires you and where you want to steer your career,” Sarah told us, adding “Then see if you can mold the things that you love into something you could get paid to do.” But perhaps one of the best parts to finding the perfect host organization is the (sometimes unexpected) impact it can have on your career path. “Like everything in life some things don’t go according to plan,” Sarah explains. “Even those things will be a learning curve. It’s all part of the journey.”

Soaring in San José with Odwa and Lwando

August 22, 2019February 13, 2018 by CEP Intern

Lwando and Odwa have come a long way together, both literally and figuratively! Dancers from South Africa, the duo first met over twelve years ago and have been friends ever since. From studying together at the Cape Academy of Performing Arts to performing with the Cape Dance Company, the pair have been there for each another at every step of their professional careers.

In 2017, Lwando and Odwa seized the opportunity to train together at the New Ballet School, a classical ballet training program led by Dalia Rawson and based in San José, CA. The duo also benefited from the support of the Gugulethu Ballet Project, a non-profit organization that partners with dance communities to expand opportunities for children in the townships of South Africa. Founded by former American Ballet Theatre soloist Kristine Elliott, the Gugulethu Ballet Project provides scholarships and other resources for exceptionally gifted youth from South Africa to study and train in the United States.

Thanks to the New Ballet School and the Gugulethu Ballet Project, Lwando and Odwa have spent the past few months immersed in the performing arts world of San José. And, from performing The Nutcracker to seeing snow for the first time, they’ve experienced it alongside one another! We caught up with the duo to hear more about their experience in San José, what it’s like living with a host family, and what’s next for these talented dancers.

What’s the best part about participating in an exchange program alongside your friend?

Lwando: Travelling can be hard, especially when you don’t know anyone, so having a friend by my side has been so helpful, especially since I have known Odwa for 12 years. He knows everything about me and I about him. It’s hard being away from home for so long, but Odwa has made it so much easier. Whenever one of us is feeling down we know how to pick the other one up!

Odwa: The best part is to see improvement in each other as we each know our strength and weaknesses. It also made us grow closer as friends because we’re staying under the same roof with our host family.

Can you tell us about living with a host family and how that has impacted your exchange?

Lwando: Living with a host family has been amazing and life changing. They have exposed us to so many new things in California. Odwa and I are now in the process of learning how to drive, which we have always wanted to do but haven’t been able to in South Africa.

Odwa: Our host family is the best and they have truly made this exchange memorable. Before this exchange, I didn’t really take into consideration what I put in my body because back home organic food is really expensive, but they taught me about healthy eating, and my body and dancing has responded positively.

**How was performing The Nutcracker for the first time? How does it compare to performing in South Africa?**

Lwando: Performing The Nutcracker for the first time was so much fun and a life changing experience, because I never once thought I would perform a historical ballet on stage. I learned about it at my ballet school in South Africa, but I usually perform neo-classical contemporary style. I have to say, I enjoy performing both genres, even though they are widely different.

Odwa: Lwando and I had never performed The Nutcracker before. No company in South Africa does it. It was so nerve wracking for the first few performances because it’s a signature ballet of every ballet company in the United States and you cannot afford to look bad. People who have been performing The Nutcracker their whole lives will even say they are sick of the music, but I ended up loving every moment on stage. I was just enjoying myself, especially when we performed with a live orchestra.

Tell us about a funny or interesting moment you’ve experienced during your program!

Lwando: Performing in public places has been an interesting experience for me, because I had never performed in front of people like that. We performed in the shopping center, and I was amazed to see people appreciating the performance and giving us the respect and silence we needed. This was interesting to me because I had never experienced this in South Africa.

Odwa: Being in the snow for the first time was such an experience. I was like a little kid who is impressed by something he always thought it was a myth. Another interesting thing is the time difference between here and home. I remember back in school we were told that when we have the sunlight in South Africa, other places in the world are dark. So this one time I video called my grandmother and it was crack of dawn for her. The disbelief in her face when I showed her that I must still go to bed was priceless!

What does cultural exchange mean to you?

Lwando: Cultural exchange means people coming together to promote mutual understanding about the place or places they came from. It helps many people learn about other countries and how people live in other places. It also helps build relationships between countries so that we can all know how to work together and make this world a better place.

Odwa: Cultural exchange means being exposed to things that you’re not used to. It means you’re going to find out things you didn’t know about yourself, because you act differently when you’re not in your natural habitat.

What advice can you offer future exchange visitors coming to the United States?

Lwando: I would tell a future exchange visitor that they should never hold themselves back from experiencing all the fun things the US has to offer. They should be nice to people because that’s how you make many friends, and they should always live in the moment while they’re here because these kinds of experiences only come once in a lifetime.

Odwa: Future exchange students should prepare themselves for lots of different American sub-cultures and should be curious enough to learn more about them.

Keep up with Lwando and Odwa by following them on Instagram @iam_lwando22_ and @odwamakanda.

TECRO and IA&A Celebrate Contemporary Art from Taiwan at Twin Oaks

August 22, 2019February 3, 2018 by CEP Intern

On February 3, 2018, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) and International Arts & Artists (IA&A) held an opening reception for the exhibition What do you see? — Meet Taiwan Contemporary Art. The reception was hosted by Ambassador and Mrs. Stanley Kao at Twin Oaks Estate, the government of the Republic of China’s property in Washington, DC.

As a place of history and elegance, Twin Oaks has played a crucial role in promoting the R.O.C.-U.S. relationship for more than 8 decades. To celebrate the 130th anniversary of Twin Oaks, TECRO is hosting an exhibition of contemporary art from Taiwan that represents a dialogue between the estate and modern visual arts. What do you see? — Meet Taiwan Contemporary Art showcases five Taiwanese artists’ works from the collection of Art Bank, Taiwan.

During the opening reception, Ambassador Kao welcomed guests, which included art leaders, artists, collectors, diplomats, and others. Ambassador Kao made remarks on the history of the Twin Oaks estate, the purpose of the Art Bank, Taiwan program, and the role of arts in the Taiwan-U.S. relationship. In his comments, IA&A’s President and Founder David Furchgott highlighted the value of cultural exchange in the visual arts and creative fields. Finally, Yan-Huei Chen, the curator of What do you see? — Meet Taiwan Contemporary Art, introduced the exhibition and her work with Art Bank, Taiwan. Following the remarks, guests were invited to enjoy the reception and continue exploring the exhibition.

What do you see? — Meet Taiwan Contemporary Art

The exhibition What do you see? — Meet Taiwan Contemporary Art will be held from February 3, 2018, to June 30, 2018, at TECRO’s Twin Oaks Estate. The six-month long event showcases artwork from five Taiwanese artists on the subject of reality and the ways in which we interpret our reality through sight and language. The exhibition, which includes paintings and sculpture works, hopes to create a dialogue with local artists and to foster cultural exchange and collaboration between Taiwanese artists and their international peers.

This marks the first time that works from Art Bank, Taiwan will be shown in Washington, DC. A program under the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Art Bank aims to promote artistic creation and the cultivation of Taiwanese artists through a public collection program. Government agencies and private companies are encouraged to rent artwork from Art Bank for display in public places in order to raise appreciation for the arts, increase the circulation of artwork and invigorate the art market in Taiwan.