The Leadership and Arts Policy Internship (LAPI) grant is an award up to $4,000 that is sponsored by the Hart Leadership Program to support innovative internships for public policy students exploring leadership and arts policy. This year’s LAPI recipients are working with a diverse range of arts organizations, from the Bay Area in California to Durham, NC.
Andrew Witte (class of 2022) is double majoring in Public Policy and a unique interdepartmental major entitled “History & Curatorial Practice” which examines museum curation and how we perceive history. He is interested in how the arts can be a catalyst for social change as well as the role of historical research in activism. He is involved in the arts at Duke as an intern at the Nasher Museum of Art, a writing consultant at the Thompson Writing Program Writing Studio, and a DJ at WXDU Duke University Radio; additionally, he and a partner are currently developing a children’s book series with support from StudioDuke. This summer, he will be interning with The Hungry River Collective, a creative project & social justice initiative dedicated to bringing attention to the erased history of the people of North Carolina’s State Hospital for the Colored Insane (Goldsboro, NC), a community conserved through a unique collection of recently rediscovered photographs. He will be working closely with musician & project instigator Tift Merritt to research the policy implications of these photographs, find descendants, help develop an ideal “model of outreach” that centers radical empathy, and support creative endeavors.
Lizzy Kramer (class of 2022) is pursuing an interdepartmental major in Public Policy and Cultural Anthropology with a Human Rights Certificate. In her studies, she uses Anthropological lenses to investigate how human rights violations affect individuals and communities and how those narratives can be used to shape policy for a more equitable world. Working at the Nasher on campus, and taking time off in the fall to work as an assistant for local muralists, documentary artists and art gallery curators, she is curious about the role arts can play in this process of advocating for more equitable policies in our society. This summer, she will work with an organization which designs and implements public art exhibits and installations that are grounded in themes of social justice and interventions in major cities in the US. She is excited to use this work to inform her thesis next year about the role of art movements in policy formation.
Noah Charlick (class of 2022) is pursuing a major in Public Policy with minors in Global Health and Inequality Studies. Through his academic studies and research work at the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, Noah has become passionate about social justice and examining public services and institutions to combat structural inequality. As a lifelong musician, the arts have also played an integral role in his life. Noah has played classical violin since the age of five and continues to produce music on the computer as a creative outlet. This summer, he is working on projects under social justice leader Lateefah Simon at the Akonadi Foundation, an organization committed to ending the criminalization of youth of color, grantmaking and investing in racial justice organizing and policy advocacy, and redesigning equitable systems. Noah hopes to incorporate his passion for the arts in contributing to Creatives in Place, a project through the Akonadi Foundation which supports community-based artistic leaders during times of pandemic-related gentrification and displacement as well as economic and racial disparity, to support them and uplift their voices to inform advocacy.
Logan Welborn (class of 2022) is pursuing a major in Public Policy, minor in Global Health, and certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Her interests lie at the intersection of advocacy and storytelling, and her passion for performance shines in her extracurricular activities. Logan is an executive member of Hoof ‘n’ Horn musical theater group, a signed artist with Small Town Records, an executive member of duARTS, and a vocalist in Out of the Blue A Capella Group. In her role as Co-Chair of Inclusion and Accessibility for Hoof ‘n’ Horn, Logan spearheaded Duke’s first ever sensory friendly performance, expanding theater to audiences with sensory stimulation difficulties. She hopes to bring light to underrepresented stories and diverse perspectives, particularly for persons with disabilities, and to make art more accessible for all.