Students in the humanities are often warned that there are few career prospects in the arts.
But a booming internship program based in the department of art history in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Arts & Science is fast challenging that notion.
With placements at organizations ranging from the Aga Khan Museum to Archives of Ontario and the Toronto Society of Architects, the program is helping students explore the many opportunities available in the arts and culture sphere.
"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 Jessica 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."
Nineteen students are currently taking part in placements with 17 different partners.
They include Tara Martin, whose internship with the Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) has enabled her to explore art appraisal - a field she previously hadn't considered.
"I wanted to focus on appraisals because it's an area I had very little prior knowledge of," says Martin, a third-year student in the art history specialist program and a member of Victoria College. "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.
"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."
Martin credits the internship with broadening her awareness of Canada's contemporary art scene and labour market. "Because ADAC works with so many art galleries and arts organizations, I've been exposed to a wide range of career possibilities."
The internship program has grown steadily since it was revamped in 2021 by Mace - then a post-doctoral researcher. There are now more students, employment partners and opportunities to gain 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."
The program has hosted 133 students to date - a surge fuelled by the department of art history's effort to create meaningful, high-quality placements in collaboration with the Office of Experiential Learning & Outreach Support.
Hana Lang, a fourth-year art history specialist with a minor in medieval studies, joined Opaloma, a 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 not have been able to access, whether that be attending industry events or visiting an artist's studio."
Mace is thrilled with the program's success, driven largely by word-of-mouth, and says participants often experience a boost of self-confidence and renewed enthusiasm about their future careers.
"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."
