Since the College of Charleston first helped launch Spoleto Festival USA in 1977, its students, faculty, staff and alumni have been involved in virtually every aspect of the annual event and its regional complement Piccolo Spoleto – from stage production and performances to administration and venue and housing logistics, not to mention the many campus locations that will house performances.
This year’s festival, which runs May 23 – June 8, 2014, is no exception.
RELATED: Read how former CofC President Ted Stern helped launch Spoleto.
Having a world-class arts festival in the College’s backyard has been especially beneficial to students who not only want to major in arts-related fields but who desire an immersive learning experience.
Students from the School of the Arts flock to internships and temporary employment opportunities with the festival and use these experiences as springboards to their dream jobs.
RELATED: See a complete list of Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto events related to the School of the Arts.
Megan Alder
The College’s deep involvement in Charleston’s arts community is one of the attributes that attracted Megan Alder to the arts management program. “The opportunity for meaningful internships as an undergraduate in my field of study was a significant driver in my decision to enroll,” Alder says.
In 2011, Alder won a competitive executive fellowship with Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs, which puts on Piccolo Spoleto. She gained valuable experience booking and managing artists, coordinating volunteers and assisting with marketing efforts.
Alder parlayed those skills and her degree into her current position as corporate sales manager with the South Carolina Aquarium.
Arts management alumni Jessie Bagley and Jen Popper turned their internships with Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto into full-time jobs with the festival.
Bagley, a Charleston native and 2009 graduate, was an arts management major and art history minor. An internship with Piccolo Spoleto during her junior year opened Bagley’s eyes to a wide variety of arts-related careers.
“That got me excited about the whole world of arts festivals,” Bagley says. “I remember thinking that working for Spoleto would be the best job ever.”
Jessie Bagley
Bagley got a foot in the door in 2011 as a seasonal employee assisting with event planning and logistics. When she learned of a full-time opening with the festival, she pounced and since 2012 has served as the festival’s marketing and public relations manager.
Popper, a 2013 Honors College graduate, also was an arts management major and art history minor.
The program’s curriculum and professors are geared toward preparing students for careers, Popper says. “We were required to volunteer with arts organizations,” she recalls. “They force you to get out into the real world and use the skills that you are learning in class.”
Jen Popper
Popper completed an internship with the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. After graduating last spring, she then completed a four-week internship with Spoleto’s media relations office, which eventually turned into a full-time gig.
Bagley and Popper have a hand in just about every Spoleto-related piece of advertising, social media and news. They coordinate with journalists, post on Twitter, develop e-mail campaigns, design print brochures and posters and help maintain the festival’s website, among other duties.
They also oversee several interns, including Amelia Roland, a current arts management major.
Popper and Bagley say their work is fulfilling and challenging. After months of planning and preparation for the festival, their schedules tend to become most hectic in the final few days and hours before the festival kicks off.
“It is a whirlwind, especially this time of year,” Bagley says. “It all comes down to these seventeen days.”
