Art & Design Professional Opportunities
Students in the department of art & design benefit from close, regular interaction with professionals in their disciplines. These experienced mentors come to campus to work with our students, encouraging them to refine developing skills and providing insight into the real-world demands of the students’ future careers. Other professional experiences require students to study or work at an off-campus site.
Internships and Externships
Internships are an
integral part of our educational program. They give students the opportunity to
affirm career goals and gain experience in a chosen field while making
invaluable connections in the profession.
All students in the BFA program are required to participate in the internship program. For art education majors, 12 weeks of student teaching are required for licensure. Studio arts majors also are required to complete an externship or study abroad. In special occasions, domestic study in an approved program also may fulfill this requirement. For design majors, students are required to complete 16 credit hours of an internship in a graphic or advertising design setting, either during a summer or regular academic term.
Typical sites for students include design firms, public
relations firms, advertising firms, museums and arts organizations. Some
internships are paid experiences that help offset expenses and college costs
while other internships lead to freelance work or full-time employment.
Students at Ohio Northern are offered a plethora of possible experiences, such
as:
Amelia Island
Plantation, Florida
Baltimore Orioles,
Maryland
Blanchard Valley
Regional Hospital, Ohio
The Contemporary Art
Center, Ohio
COSI Museum, Ohio
Doner Advertising
Agency, Michigan and Ohio
Frog Inc., Texas,
California, New York, Seattle, China, Italy
Graphis Magazine, New
York
Informatics,
Pennsylvania
Letter 13, Pennsylvania
Liggett-Stashower, Ohio
Marriott Corporate
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
The Museum of Modern
Art, Ohio, Massachusetts, Chicago
National Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C.
National Geographic, New
York
Nickelodeon Animation
Studios, California
Nike Inc., Oregon
Ogilvy & Mather,
Michigan
Paul Osbourne Design,
Ohio
Proteus Design,
Massachusetts
Reebok International,
Massachusetts
Seventh Street Studio,
Michigan
Siegel & Gale, New York,
California, London
Target Corporation,
California
The Studio Museum, New
York
ThoughtForm Inc.,
Pennsylvania
Walgreen’s Advertising
Department, Illinois
The Washington Center,
Washington, D.C.
Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio
U-Wire National
University E-News Service
Employers
The benefits of participation in our internship program for
employers are many. Through the program, employers are able to gain access to a
group of highly creative artists and designers. Art and design interns are able
to bring energy and creativity to their internship sites while gaining
real-word experience.
Internship site employers are able to have a positive impact on art and design students. Many employers have a sense of satisfaction from being able to provide a training and learning experience for their interns. For many students, an internship is one of their first work experiences in the field; employers are able to help train and mold a growing artist or designer.
Interns are able to provide a low cost alternative to employers’ human resource needs. By participation in the program, employers are able to develop a pool of candidates for current or future full-time employment needs. Interns are a good way for employers to determine if a candidate will provide a good fit for full-time job opportunities within the organization.
Interested employers are encouraged to contact the
department of art & design for our Employer Information and Engagement brochure. It contains forms for an intern and a position description,
approval process, and other information for employers. Please contact the department at 419.772.2160 or art@onu.edu.
Independent Studies
Independent study
allows qualified juniors and seniors to earn credit while engaged in supervised
work in areas of interest. Typically one to four credit hours, the
"course" may be an in-depth investigation into a technique, a specific
problem or a special project. The program requires tutorial supervision by a
faculty member, group critiques by faculty, independent work. Interested
students submit project proposals to the appropriate faculty representative for
approval before registering.
Practical Experiences
The art & design
department provides students with opportunities for practical experience
through internships, externships, department newsletters and various activities
within Kappa Pi, the National Art Education Association and AIGA/The
Professional Association for Design. Students should take advantage of
extracurricular activities on campus to build practical skills, a portfolio and
experience. Most of the following examples can be taken for credit:
Graphic Design Production Workshop
The workshop is the
department’s in-house design and project-management class. The workshop engages
students in individual and collaborative problem-solving assignments for
University and non-profit clients in a professional setting. Students work
directly with clients on a wide range of projects including: identity systems,
brochures, publications, posters, signage systems, book design and
illustration.
Department and University publications
Polar Droppings: participation in writing, designing
and producing of the department’s student newsletter. Published weekly
(Fridays).
The Manutius Circle: activities in writing, designing and producing the
department’s alumni newsletter.
The Journal of Personal Letter Writing: experience for design majors in technical,
layout and production skills of a professional journal. Edited by Dr. Steven
Iseman (communication arts department). Published quarterly.
The Northern: participation in design, photography, writing and producing
the ONU yearbook.
E-Zine: publication activities on the ONU electronic culture
magazine.
Northern Review: journalism activities in writing, editing, design,
photography and producing the student newspaper.
Polaris: participation in design, production and editing of the
literary-art magazine.
Theatre/Scene Shop: Opportunities to engage in technical and artist work
for musicals, plays, dance, etc.
Department Employment
There are a variety
of jobs available in the department for students eligible for work study funds.
There are also special skills jobs available. The art & design department
views these work assignments important to the operation of the department and
expects that students hired for these duties treat them with the same regard.
A listing of departmental jobs is on file in the art & design office as well as in the financial aid office. Available times for work as gallery attendants and department office clerks are arranged through the department secretary. The computer lab monitors are hired through the graphic design program. Other departmental jobs include studio assistants, gallery director assistant, slide librarian, student designer, among others.
