Kris Pfister ’17 is a Studio Art major from Galion, Ohio, and is working with two different arts organizations this summer as a Field School Fellow. She is helping the Horned Dorset Colony (HDC) in Leonardsville, New York to connect with artist residents, locate funding for programming, and organize their library of 15,000 books. She is working with the Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts (Golden) in New Berlin, New York to compile a master spreadsheet with data about artwork donated to the Foundation and create an updated Foundation mailing list.
Kris Pfister ’17 in the library at the Horned Dorset Colony in Leonardsville, New York
The Horned Dorset Colony is focused on creating a luxurious space for artists across disciplines to interact, share ideas, and develop new works, while Golden works to provide artists with a supportive atmosphere for resident artists while allowing them to explore and experiment with any number of materials offered by Golden Artist Colors, just down the road from the Foundation. Each organization is committed not only to the artists they house, but also to their surrounding community.
Kris has learned through her work with both organizations that there are many sources of funding for a nonprofit art organization, but that finding these grants and gathering the details about application takes time. “I hope to take care of this aspect of grant writing for them,” she says, “so that the process of applying for funding can be simpler and quicker in the future.”
Kris Pfister ’17 at the Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts.
“It has been a dream thus far to work directly with people I admire so much, and I am excited to learn as much as I possibly can in my last several weeks as an intern. One of my favorite aspects of daily work at these two organizations is being surrounded by passionate, successful people. The energy from that passion creates a fantastic professional atmosphere and makes each bit of work interesting. Both of the organizations I work for truly care about providing a good experience for not only the artist residents, but also the local communities. That kind of energy is contagious, and I am truly thankful to have such an experience on a daily basis.”