Intern Reflection by Lexie McCarty

Lexie McCarty

Spring 2019

Working at Poverty and the Arts has been such a fulfilling experience. There is always so much going on and so many projects that the team is working on that there is never a dull day. I was the graphic design intern this Spring semester. I had the wonderful opportunity of being able to work mainly with the Marketing Director, Troy Dixon, and of course the incredible Founder and Executive Director, Nicole Minyard, on design projects that were both unique and challenging.

The main projects I got to be a part of were mocking up and completing AM Hassan’s mural design to be given to the donors as a print, preparing signage, making web advertisements to be featured on the Nashville Scene’s website, attending the Gold Key Gala, making social media posts for the Instagram account and finally making graphics for the upcoming Big Payback event.

A lot of my time and the team’s time while I was here was spent working on and preparing for the Gold Key Gala which was so fun and such a huge success. The silent auction went so smoothly and the artists seemed so happy being able to sell and showcase their art. It was such a fun night and a rewarding experience to get to hear the artist’s stories and how Poverty and the Arts has impacted them.

Unfortunately I was only able to work Friday’s this semester due to my busy school schedule but I am so grateful to have had the experience I did! The artist I spent time with the most was Clinecasso, who is hilarious, full of joy and incredibly creative. He told me a story one day about the new art pieces he was working on and how the group of pieces would be called Sidewalks. He said that when he was younger and even to this day, when he is walking along the street that he holds his head down and looks at the sidewalk as he goes. But instead of just seeing pavement or gravel as he walks, Clinecasso said he sees colors and patterns in the sidewalk and that’s what inspired his work.

I thought this story was really eye-opening because typically when I am just walking around I become immune to my surroundings or tend to brush past things that seem mundane or part of every day life. Clinecasso really inspired me with his Sidewalks project because it challenged me to find joy and find color in the mundane and see what a difference it will make it my life.

This has been an incredible experience and not one that I will soon forget! Thanks so much Poverty and the Arts for such an amazing and fulfilling semester!