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Summer 2020 Internship

Entering the Franklin Furnace internship program after only just having finished my first year of college left me excited but nervous. Add in the pandemic, which caused a switchover from an in person to a remote internship, and no one really had any idea what to expect.

Yet my nerves were quickly assuaged by the warm and welcoming environment that the program somehow still managed to exude through the digital forms of Zoom meetings and email correspondences. As I’m sure many past and present interns can attest to, one immediately feels important and valuable, as part of a team with real tasks and responsibilities rather than being relegated to the role of mere coffee-runner.

I was assigned to work with my peers on redesigning the Franklin Furnace website. The ideas and questions we encountered while working paralleled the changes we were seeing globally as we all shifted from a life in person to a life lived remotely. Franklin Furnace’s fierce dedication to cultivating and preserving art was embodied as we worked, evident in our grapple with the question of how best to present art of all mediums in the relatively new digital terrain. As we explore ways to retain all that makes art great, from the audience engagement that is so integral to performance art to ensuring high quality video streaming that can rival the experience of in person exhibitions, the adaptability and innovation of Franklin Furnace and their mission is laid bare.

The unwavering spirit of Franklin Furnace and their commitment to art has inspired my own attitudes towards not just art, but other aspects of my life as well, illuminating how change itself need not be a bad thing but that we just need to adapt to the times.

Irene Wang


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