A hearty and wonderful welcome to our three fall interns.
Our interns will be supporting Cultivate's work and mission in various arts administration roles. Each intern is matched with a core team member to work in tandem to support both the intern's and Cultivate's goals. We look forward to the work, innovation, and creativity that they will all bring to the table.
Dani F. Hughes (she/her) shares her bio below:
"I am a fine artist that specializes in photography. When navigating my source of inspiration and the physical act of creating, it’s always linked in a relation to nostalgia. The medium of photography compliments my exploration of time, human memory, and sentimentalism. Whether it be my own memories, or my curiosities surrounding bygone eras, I use photography as a visual narrative tool. I am drawn to ways photography can experimentally overlap other art mediums and the influences of my rural Midwest upbringing and family history often surface in my work. I am a recent BFA graduate of Kendall College of Art and Design and plan to continue my art education on the East Coast in 2023.
Please explore some of Dani's work below. Please see Dani's portfolio and work here.
Will Gee (he/him) is an artist and singer/songwriter from Chicago Illinois. He shares his bio:
"I am an Art, Media, Design graduate from DePaul University with a minor in Animation. Currently, I am a digital artist that utilizes mixed media by incorporating elements of illustration, drawing, photography, and photo editing to make my personal works. I have worked and studied in advanced-level courses and situations that incorporate my skills. My work is heavily inspired by the communities, cultures, and experiences that reside in. These places utilize music, tattooing, pop culture, and mental health. I also hope to pursue a Masters in the future to have more doors open for employment and opportunity."
Please explore some of Will's work below. See his portfolio here.
Matthew Bliss (he/him) is an illustrator artist based in Grand Rapids.
Matthew shares his bio:
"I am a pandemic graduate with a degree majoring in Visual Communication Design for the bills, and a minor in illustration for the thrills. My work ranges everywhere from graphic design to metalsmithing and usually is grounded in a story somehow. Lately, I've been focusing on honing my skills with block printing to create a workflow that maximize my ability to pursue stories and conceptual work. A major goal of mine is to expose my brain to new perspectives during this internship. I am inspired heavily by themes and motifs related to folk, minimalism, distress, and anything liminal."
Please explore some of Will's work below. See his portfolio here.
It was a very competitive applicant pool, with students and community members from three states and ten colleges. Our team carefully reviewed each application and selected the three people below who support our work, mission, and goals for this next semester.
If you applied to the program, we strongly encourage you to reapply for a future semester, become a volunteer, or apply for an artist call. We would love to work with you.