Artist Studio Operations Intern

About the Studio

Ayanna Aneesa Rafia is a multidisciplinary artist working across painting and photography. Based in Brooklyn, NY, her practice explores how bodies, memory, and environments shape one another through architecture and quiet moments of daily life.

Aneesa Rafia holds a BFA from the University of Michigan and studied interior architecture in Copenhagen, Denmark, experiences that expanded her interest in the emotional and narrative potential of physical space.

Alongside her studio practice, Aneesa Rafia engages with the broader contemporary art ecosystem through archival work, exhibitions, research, and collaborative cultural initiatives. The studio is interested in building thoughtful systems for documenting artwork, maintaining a digital archive, and fostering dialogue with writers, curators, and other artists. This internship offers students the opportunity to gain insight into the organizational and communication structures that support a working contemporary artist’s practice.

The Artist Studio Operations Intern supports the organizational and communication infrastructure of the artist’s studio.

The intern will assist with organizing and archiving digital documentation of artwork, maintaining systems for cataloging images and studio materials, supporting outreach communications related to studio visits and critiques, and helping prepare materials for grant and residency applications.

The intern may also assist with organizing and creating social media content related to the artist’s studio practice and documenting creative work for public-facing platforms.

This role provides insight into the behind-the-scenes processes that sustain an active contemporary art practice and offers experience in digital archiving, professional communication, and creative project organization.

Status: Internship / Student Position

Academic credit available through the student’s program

Approximately 5–8 hours per week. Scheduling is flexible depending on the student’s academic commitments.

Remote / Hybrid / In-person (depending on the intern’s location)

• Organize artwork photographs into a structured Google Drive or digital archive system
• Catalog and label artworks for documentation and record keeping
• Maintain clear file naming conventions and folder structures for studio materials

• Assist with organizing contact lists for writers, curators, and collaborators
• Support drafting outreach emails for studio visits, critiques, and conversations about the work
• Help track correspondence and responses related to studio invitations

Grant & Residency Preparation

• Assist with organizing materials for grant and residency applications
• Support assembling portfolios, image folders, and supporting documentation
• Help maintain organized records of past and upcoming opportunities

• Assist with organizing visual content related to artwork and studio documentation
• Support planning and scheduling posts related to studio projects and exhibitions
• Help maintain a structured archive of social media assets and image files

Learning Outcomes

Through this internship, students will gain insight into:

• The operational structure of a contemporary artist’s studio
• Digital archiving and documentation practices for artwork
• Professional communication within the contemporary art ecosystem
• Preparation of materials for grants, residencies, and professional opportunities
• Strategies for presenting and documenting artistic work publicly

Students interested in supporting a working artist studio are invited to submit:

• Resume
• Short note of interest (4-6 sentences about why this role interests you and what you hope to learn)
• Portfolio, website, or writing samples (optional but encouraged)

Please send application materials by 03/27/2026 to:

info@aneesarafia.com