Bloomberg Arts Internship Spotlight: Kaddy

This interview was conducted and photographed by fellow Bloomberg Arts Intern Natasha J. 

What motivated you to apply for the Bloomberg Arts Internship?

I heard about this internship through my art teacher at school, and it sounded like a great opportunity because it pays well, it’s all summer, and I was pretty familiar with a lot of the worksites so I thought it would be a cool experience to intern at one of them.

Which arts & culture organization are you paired with and what are your main tasks there?

 This year, I’m paired with the Ministry of Awe. Our overarching task is turning this historic bank building in Old City into an immersive and interactive art exhibit and functional events venue. A lot of the parts of the historical architecture are still preserved but have been repurposed to have different rooms and spaces for people to interact. It takes inspiration from the history of the bank and commentary on things like currency and the economy. 

Describe a typical day at your worksite.

Everyday is a little bit different for us, but we usually have a morning meeting to discuss individual projects and tasks. Recently, I’ve been doing a cement project with bone molds but more generally I do a lot of painting and measuring for mural making. I also spend a lot of time sketching for my personal project. 

Share a memorable experience from the internship.

I would say that my most memorable experience would be at my worksite! There’s tons of projects going on constantly, but one of the projects that my partner Aviva and I were given was a “nanny cam” project, where we had to hide cameras in objects. We were tasked with going thrifting for objects, and one of my initial ideas was to use taxidermy deer. The other week when Aviva and I went shopping, and as soon as we walked in there was a taxidermy deer. 

Kaddy with fellow Ministry of Awe intern Aviva

Do you see yourself benefitting from BAI on a more personal and personal level as well?

For sure! One of my favorite things about this internship is that I’ve been able to make so many new friends. Obviously, the applicant pool self-selects but I’ve been able to reconnect with so many old friends and meet new people too. Also, seeing people with similar values and goals in this sector is very comforting and feels like a good community to be in. 

How do you plan to remain involved in the arts and culture sector after your experience with BAI?

I hope that when I’m an adult I can financially support the arts, by being an active member of museums and bringing my future family to different art exhibits. Also in my professional life, I hope to be connected to people in that sector. 

What specific interests/passions do you have in the arts/culture sector?

I’m a fiber artist, I like to work with textiles and yarn. I picked this up in 2020 during the pandemic, and I’m still super passionate about it. It has a connection to my family and also the bonds it’s helped me form with other people, specifically women, and this has been empowering for me. In the past, I feel as though fiber arts wasn’t considered a true artistic medium as much as it is now, and that embrace is very heartfelt to me. (P.S. Kaddy’s crochet account and business is @krafdyren on Instagram!)

What advice would you give to a future BAI applicant?

The main piece of advice that I would give is to be honest with the representation of yourself in the application, during the job fair, as well as working with others.