The Arts @ Large Career Development Program offers paid internships to Milwaukee Public Schools high school students annually. Rooted in the arts, this program equips young people with essential skills for success in the creative industries and beyond, including communication, leadership, collaboration, and self-efficacy. Interns gain hands-on experience through youth-led projects and artist assistantships, building artist portfolios that showcase their growth.
Arts @ Large is seeking Milwaukee Public Schools students ages 15-18 for our Career Development Art Internship. This year, our Career Development program will explore our Ecoliteracy cornerstone, exploring the question, “How do places in Milwaukee reflect the history of the people and communities who have lived here?”. Interns will support our Autonomous Youth Council Leadership Group in executing their short film
project, “Streets with a Story: A Short Film Project About Memory, Place, and Community”. This project will utilize our Mobile Media Lab to survey the city of Milwaukee, using digital art tools to tell a story that explores this question.
Registration is now CLOSED for this years cohort. Check back in August for 2026 opportunities.
Questions? Please reach out to our Education Manager, Sam Kacala, at sam@artsatlargeinc.org
Please note: A@L’s Career Development program is highly competitive. Applicants must meet all internship program expectations to be considered.
2025 Summer Camp
We invite young artists entering 3rd to 8th grade on a five-week summer art adventure, where they will get the chance to ignite their creativity and discover new passions by exploring a wide range of art mediums- all for FREE!
Summer Camp runs for five weeks, beginning June 23rd and ending on July 24th. Activities are held 8:00 am – 1:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (No Camp on Fridays) and includes breakfast and lunch.
See what your young artist has created at the Closing Celebration on July 24th where students will display their masterpieces for parents, family, and friends.
Parent Orientation will be held on Saturday, June 21st from 10:30-11:30 am. Parent Orientation is mandatory for new participants.
Past Art Mediums: Painting, Drumming, Sculpture, Song Writing, Theater, and Visual Art.
Location: All activities are held at the Arts @ Large Community Center, 1100 S. 5th St, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Sacred Garden is a youth-focused open mic, created by and for Milwaukee’s young people. This unique format amplifies the voices of youth artists who use the Arts @ Large Gallery stage to share stories, music and more. While adults are welcome to enter the space, youth are at the center and always heard first. The creators and coordinators of Sacred Garden work to create a space where youth can be authentically themselves, and they do not condone racism, homophobia, transphobia, or any other hate speech on the stage.
A.I.R. Academy is a FREE, six-session Saturday program where 3rd–8th grade artists build skills, explore new ideas, and create alongside peers in a supportive studio environment. This spring, students will experiment across three distinct art mediums related to Arts @ Large’s Spring Artist in Residence, Hattie Grimm. Specific mediums will be announced soon.
Program Schedule
Saturdays from 9:15 am–1:00 pm
4/11, 4/18, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, and 5/16
Families are required to commit to at least 5 of the 6 sessions.
Parent Orientation: 4/4 (10:30 – 11:30 am)
A.I.R. Academy is held at the Arts @ Large Community Center – 1100 S 5th St, Milwaukee, WI 53204.
Note: Capacity is limited so we encourage you to register if your young artist would like to join us.
Jam House
Join hosts Gig Simulator in February and March, a group of music teachers and performers in the area who welcome you to experience what the “gigging” process is like in a safe, judgment-free setting. Piano, amp, PA, and drums provided! FREE – all are welcome.
Flock Opening Celebration
We welcome Hattie Grimm as our Spring Artist in Residence as she opens her residency Flock: Exploring Collective Practice, Radical Imagination, and the Wisdom of Birds. Hattie is an artist and educator inspired by the intuitive wisdom of birds and the natural world. Her work explores how we can be more receptive to our own animal bodies’ communication and uncover something more true and alive in everything and in ourselves. With a BA in Art Education from UW-Madison, she taught art to middles school and high school students for four years and has led art workshops across the state, including the Chazen Museum of Art, MOWA, and UWM. She has show her paintings, sculptures and puppet parades thoughout Wisconsin.
