At Epicenter, we have been developing a way to further contribute to our community using our personal experiences, professional connections, and existing programs. For example, some of our experience includes working at a multi-disciplinary design office in Atlanta, acting as an architecture teaching assistant at Auburn University, and taking art classes throughout life. Our education includes college degrees in architecture, fine arts, sociology, and literature. Our talents span from the visual arts to creative writing to building construction. The resources we can offer are not limited to our in-house staff, but instead are dependent upon our regional partnerships and our visiting artists-in-residence (Frontier Fellows). These resources need to be made more readily available for Green River. On that note, we’re proud to announce an Epicenter internship program for local teens!!! This program is made possible by generous donations from the United Way of Eastern Utah and the Sykes family, and through support from Green River High School and the CHEER Coalition.
Internships will focus on nurturing design and arts based skills, applying “design thinking” to school studies, problem solving, and gaining self-understanding, self-confidence, and interpersonal skills. During the internship, teens interact with artists (local, regional, and visiting artists), attend out-of-town workshops & arts programs, and learn about regional higher education institutions.
Daylily by Robin; Photo of Robin
Our first high school intern is Robin Nelson, the current Melon Queen First Attendant! She has been learning about digital photography and learning Adobe Photoshop for the past two months. Her internship comes to an end this month, so make sure to come to her final show at Epicenter in early November! Below are some questions we asked Robin at the start of her internship:
Name/Age/Grade: Robin Nelson, 16 years old, 11th grade at Green River High School
What is your favorite subject in school?: English, especially the creative writing aspect.
Do you play sports?: Yes, I play basketball and run cross country. It is a fun way to keep in shape.
What do you do after school?: I work at Blimpies, chores, farm work, training for my colt, archery, writing stories, and riding my horses!
What was it like growing up in Green River?: Fantastic, you get to know your whole class, and watch them grow. You get to experience a lot of outdoorsy things that you might not get to experience in a bigger town. I have a great life. I am blessed with two horses to call my own, and spend a lot of time with them. I enjoy doing things with my family, and get to do so often.
What made you want to do the internship at the Epicenter?: I heard from a friend that they were doing it, and I thought it would be fun to learn about digital photography.
What are you most excited about regarding this internship?: I get to stretch my mind and do more. I want to challenge myself.
Do you want to attend college?: Yes! I want to go to Dixie College and study writing and photography.
What do you want to when you grow up?: Become a published author, and have a side job as a photographer.
If you could change one thing about Green River what would it be?: I wish there were more educational opportunities.
