Meet our Studio Intern, Anna!

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Anna Petersen takes a break from her coursework at DePaul to support artists at the Chicago Studio.  As a painter with an interest in art education, she is very curious about the development of artistic practices. She likes to engage in discussion with different studio members and share feedback.  Anna took a few minutes to chat with PR Committee Member, Frances Roberts. You can read some highlights from their conversation below.

 

Frances Roberts (FR): How long have you been volunteering here?

Anna Petersen (AP): A little over a month.

 

FR: How did you learn about Arts of Life?  What inspired you to volunteer?      

AP: I heard about AofL from one of my professors.  He told me about it. I thought it was really cool that you have an art studio that makes more opportunities for people to be part of the art world. 

 

FR: Do you make art?  What kind of art do you do?  

AP: I do make art.  I paint mostly, really big paintings.  I like really colorful work. I like to use a lot of different colors and textures.  

 

FR: Where do you go to school?  What are you studying? 

AP: I got to DePaul University.  And I’m an Art, Media, and Design major.  My favorite classes have been painting and drawing based.  

 

FR: What is your favorite class?

AP: I especially like figure drawing and painting classes.  We have a live model who lets us draw them for like an hour, it’s really impressive!

 

FR: How long have you been at DePaul?

AP: I’ve been there three years.  This is my last one. I’m graduating in the spring.  It is exciting and scary. It’s scary because I don’t know exactly what I’m gonna do, but exciting because I’ll be proud to finish college!

 

FR: What do you do as a studio intern at Arts of Life?

AP: Mostly I talk with artists here and see what they’re working on.  I try to help out with that.  

 

FR: What do you like to do for fun?

AP: Mostly I like to cook and eat.  FR I didn’t know that. I also like to go drink coffee with friends.

 

FR: What do you like to cook?

AP: I’m pretty good at making crispy brussel sprouts and asparagus.  They are really good if you put on salt and pepper and lots of butter.  

 

FR: What is something you learned in your time at Arts of Life?

AP: I think one of the biggest things is how big the range of artistic processes can be.  Some artists know exactly what they want to do, make a plan, write it down and follow it to the letter.  Some artists feel like doing one thing one day and something else the next day. It’s really cool to see that process be different depending on the person.  

Arts of Life hosts interns from a number of local colleges and universities. We benefit tremendously from the diverse backgrounds and skills they bring to the studio! And we think that our studio collective can provide a good balance to the rigors of student life too!

You can fill out a volunteer application at artsoflife.org/volunteer to explore internship opportunities.