Leadership in Arts Policy Internship

The Hart Leadership Program has a long history of drawing connections between leadership and the arts. The Leadership in Arts Policy Internship (LAPI) is designed to fuel creativity in the practice of leadership while challenging students to connect their passion for the arts to their academic endeavors.

Leadership in Arts Policy interns complete a required gateway course in the spring (PUBPOL 213: Arts Policy, Leadership, and Engagement) and receive a $5000 stipend to support their summer internship. Students awarded internship funding will have the option either to design their own project at the intersection of leadership and the arts, or conduct their internship with a community partner from the spring class.

Arts policy internships can be with arts nonprofits, cultural institutions, museums, historic sites, local or state governments, creative agencies, foundations, advocacy organizations, educational initiatives, or any project focused on the arts in community. During their internship, students also engage in reflective practice, writing two “Letters Home” over the course of the summer and hearing back from Hart Leadership Program faculty. LAPI encourages interns to consider how leadership and the arts can intersect, and what each practice can gain in conversation with the other. LAPI students also present their experiences at the Hart Leadership Program’s Public Purpose Forum in the fall after they complete the internship.

Beginning in 2023-24, LAPI is open to sophomores and juniors from any major. Students majoring in Public Policy who are planning to complete their required Policy Internship this summer will receive priority consideration.