Kickstarting your Career with an Erasmus+ Internship in Sicily: hear from our current creative industry interns.
The team at EprojectConsult are specialists at facilitating Erasmus+ mobility placements and have recently started working alongside Capacity London and Capacity Ireland to run three-month internships for participants here in Sicily. In mid-September, we welcomed eleven new interns taking on work placements in a variety of fields in order to develop their professional skills and kickstart their careers. This week, we have been able to catch up with interns in Creative Industries and find out more about their roles!
Natalia, who is working at KoArt as an Art Gallery Assistant, has varied tasks, including working on the social media content for the gallery’s online platforms, translating exhibition text and helping to create the content and design for a new catalogue.
Not only has her employer been curious about her input, but Natalia has also found her placement very educational. She is learning a lot about the different relationships between creators, curators and collectors in a local environment. Additionally, she has learnt about the intricacies of the Italian art world model, giving her a fresh perspective. In many parts of Europe, there is a tendency for one person to carry out multiple roles within the gallery, due to cost constraints. In Italy, everyone sticks to their own role, which in her view creates a more valuable experience. By the end of her placement, she hopes to be more knowledgeable about promoting, exhibiting and selling artand be able to transfer these new skills to a new role.
“We are always exchanging our experiences – everyday I spend in the KoArt Gallery, I learn something new”
Lizzie works as a Gallery Assistant at Galleria Arionte and has been creating videos for the gallery’s instagram and translating biographies for some catalogues. She has learnt a lot about Sicilian art and artists and how they differ from Italian artists.
“I really enjoy researching the different artists, learning about their background, their technique and their inspiration.”
Matt is an Architectural Assistant, working alongside Manlio Soraci. His day-to-day work life involves accompanying the lead Architect on site visits to review the progress of ongoing projects and take new measurements. Using this information, Matt is able to prepare AutoCAD drawings and incorporate his own ideas.
The level of care and detail that goes into the design of a project in Sicily has been important for Matt, for example, he has observed that when choosing interior finishes, the wallpapers are custom-made just for the client. Matt is looking forward to the realisation of a new project he has been assigned to, where he is putting his skills into practice designing a new facade for an older building in Barcellona PG.
“I like that I have a good mix of studio work, as well as time spent outside on site. Because of this, the work stays varied and exciting”
Assisting at the studio at Arte nei Tempi, Joan spends her working day preparing, making and decorating ceramic pieces. When we visited her at work to take pictures, we were met with warm welcomes from the two ladies she works with, who were happy to show us around. The shop is crammed with delightful ceramic objects ranging from small magnets to larger bowls and centrepieces. One of the women explained how much Joan has helped them in preparing the pieces coming up to their busy season. Joan has been painting and glazing pine cones, which are the symbol for good luck and health in Sicily! Soon, she will move on to learning how to do the intricate hand painted designs seen on many of the pieces.
Joan is gaining valuable experience and is excited to apply this learning to her future endeavours.
“I would also hope to gain more skills working in a ceramic studio that will be valuable for when I return home.”
