Internship Blog – Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA)

This summer I interned at PICA (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art) in Portland, Oregon. I met Roya Amirsoleymani, PICA’s Community Engagement Manager, early on in my graduate studies and worked with her on public programs during my summer internship, specifically in preparation for the Time-Based Art (TBA) Festival in September. I have followed PICA closely throughout my graduate studies, and I am interested in experimental contemporary art, art process, and multi-disciplinary work, all of which are major focuses of the organization. I am also intrigued by the way they build out abandoned or under-utilized spaces in Portland. While my current research concentrates on contemporary rural arts, my experience with PICA reinforced themes that intersect with this research, including alternative art spaces, experimental and experiential art, place-based art, and multi-disciplinary practice while introducing me to contemporary performance. I am also working to build a career around supporting contemporary artists and artist-led projects. I have created this digital space as a place to record my internship experience through reflection, images and video:

https://blogs.uoregon.edu/staceyray/professional-experience/pica-internship/