Detroit Public Theatre

InsideOut Literary Arts

Creative Washtenaw/ArtTrain

Living Arts

African American Cultural & Historical Museum of Washtenaw County

Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD)

CultureSource

Arab American National Museum

Sidewalk Detroit

Mosaic Youth Theatre

Detroit Opera

Metropolitan Museum of Design Detroit

Detroit Sound Conservancy

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Garage Cultural

Eisenhower Dance

Motor City Street Dance Academy

Dearborn Historical Museum

Studio Artists: Nour Ballout & Diana Nucera: Mother Cyborg

Detroit Public Theatre • InsideOut Literary Arts • Creative Washtenaw/ArtTrain • Living Arts • African American Cultural & Historical Museum of Washtenaw County • Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) • CultureSource • Arab American National Museum • Sidewalk Detroit • Mosaic Youth Theatre • Detroit Opera • Metropolitan Museum of Design Detroit • Detroit Sound Conservancy • Detroit Symphony Orchestra • Garage Cultural • Eisenhower Dance • Motor City Street Dance Academy • Dearborn Historical Museum • Studio Artists: Nour Ballout & Diana Nucera: Mother Cyborg •

Culture Corps connects U-M undergraduates with paid internships at arts and culture organizations across Michigan focusing on Metro Detroit and Grand Rapids.

Culture Corps matches U-M undergraduate students to paid internships at arts and culture organizations in Southeast Michigan after taking a mini-course. Its goals are to encourage and expose students interested in arts and humanities majors to career pathways, to encourage students who might not know how to get started in arts and culture careers, and to support a breadth of SE Michigan art and culture organizations with a consistent group of paid students.

1: Join the Program
September–February

Request to join Culture Corps by emailing Program Lead, Alison Rivett at alibyrne@umich.edu.

2: Two-Credit Mini-Course
March–April

You'll take AmCult 377: Culture Corps for foundational knowledge & skills. Preparation starts after winter break.

3: Internship & Check-ins
May–August 

Most internships are up to 20 hours/week for 15–16 weeks. Hourly pay is $18, and transportation costs are reimbursed. You'll meet with your intern cohort throughout, to share your experiences & learn from your peers.

Partnering Host Organizations

Interested in becoming a host organization? Contact artsinitiative@umich.edu to learn more.

Why were you interested in an arts & culture internship?

What is a day in your internship like?

What is something new you have learned?

What has been a favorite Culture Corps moment?

I got to sit in on the auditions for DPT’s next season, which was very cool!

Riding in a Model-T after we washed it!

Participating in a cooking workshop while helping run it.

Visiting the house of a local artist—I was able to see a lot of the art they made and even was gifted a piece!

History

The Humanities Collaboratory Equity Initiative supported a research phase of Culture Corps over the summer of 2021, to determine best practices for establishing relationships with internship hosts, the types of structures that promote quality experiences for students, and the historic trajectories that have shaped arts institutions' values and affecting their ability to attract a diverse staff.

Request a pdf of the full Culture Corps report by emailing artsinitiative@umich.edu.