Samantha Threadgill
University of Florida
College of Journalism and Communications
My International Experience
Over the course of 5 weeks during the summer of 2018, I was a marketing intern for SyART Gallery in Sorrento, Italy. This gallery displays contemporary art from all over the world from artists like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, but also young and undiscovered artists. I interned with this business through the school I was staying at in Sorrento, the Sant’Anna Institute.
Throughout this internship, I cultivated my advertising and public relation skills while also learning how to adapt to a vastly different culture. The work culture in Italy characterized itself with ambiguity that forced me to become more aware of the way I use and structure my time. But, most importantly, from this internship, I gained a new appreciation for art that I would have never received if I had taken a class about it at my home university. Check out my blog to see what I learned in more detail from this amazing opportunity.
Week 1
My first night in Sorrento was utterly beautiful, and I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming! I met my supervisors, Rossella and Leone and they were incredibly kind and welcoming- which was reassuring, to say the least. At our initial meeting, we discussed possible project opportunities, and it seemed like the options were endless! I am so excited to see what this internship has in store for me- the good, the bad, and even the ugly.
Starting a new job anywhere can always be a bit daunting, with this internship being no exception. I wasn't sure what to expect in regards to language barriers and the type of work environment it was going to be like. I soon was comforted by my supervisors always offering to buy me a coffee every time they went, as I have never experienced that level of hospitality from a supervisor in the United States. Additionally, I was thrilled to learn that my supervisor whom I worked the most with, Rossella, spoke English very well. She never even properly took English classes, she learned the language completely by herself from working with English speaking tourists in Sorrento every day! I had a blast just getting to work alongside her because not only was I learning new skills for marketing, I was also getting to learn new words and phrases every day in Italian, and I taught her words in English, too! She additionally took the time to explain all of the art pieces in the gallery so that I could better understand all of the wonderful art around me. She also explained in detail how the gallery did most of its business through personal selling, and rarely ever at the gallery itself. It was enlightening to see a business model different than from what I had ever experienced before.
Week 2
The second week- time to start creating. Rossella and Leone needed my help in making a promotional flyer for an upcoming event in Sorrento. A jazz festival was going to be happening at Villa Fiorentino, a popular and extravagant building that hosted events for the arts all year long. SyART Gallery was going to be premiering new art pieces and needed to promote that, while also promoting the gallery itself. Additionally, we partnered with BMW to help them in promoting their new car model at the event, as well. I helped to create a flyer the adequately displayed all information necessary, met the criteria of my supervisors while making something that was still visually appealing.
At the same time, Rossella and Leone had bought advertising space for the inside back of the popular magazine, Sorrento Style. This magazine is placed in the nicest 5-star hotels in Sorrento, making it an optimal place to invest in advertising. I aimed to create an ad that was the essence of sophisticated, while also inviting to future buyers and visitors. I did this by using minimal words and placing the emphasis on what was important- the art.
I was so excited to see my hard work come to life on the main street of Sorrento, Corso Italia!
Week 3
This week was exciting to me personally because I worked on a project I was not expecting to, and that was hosting an event. I had never formally planned and promoted an event by myself before, and I was thrilled to make something great out of this opportunity. My task was to host a free art gallery showing to students at Sant'Anna Institute, where I could give them tours of the gallery and explain the art pieces to them. I began to promote this event through a visually appealing flyer for students, as well as through word of mouth advertising between my classmates and other students living in the dorm.
The day of the event arrived, and I have to admit, I was nervous about the outcome. My supervisor bought snacks for all of the students and I knew all of the artwork well enough to give large group tours. But, I wasn't sure how many students would show up to the event and if I could even do my job well under the pressure. However, groups of students and even faculty showed up to the gallery and were genuinely excited to learn about the beautiful contemporary art we offered, and I was ecstatic! What really surprised me, however, was my supervisor began taking videos of me explaining the art to my peers as well as tons of pictures, where she later posted to Facebook, Instagram, and even sent to specific artists in the gallery themselves. I felt reassured in her trust in me to do well that she would choose me to be the face of this event entirely on social media. Additionally, Rossella even called a local journalist to report on the event without ever telling me beforehand, which further proved she had a strong trust me in do well from the beginning.
This event was a fantastic experience overall because I was able to improve my public relation skills as being the face of my business on social media. I helped better connect students and faculty to the art gallery which I am overwhelmingly happy to do because art can be underappreciated in the United States. I am excited to have this experience under my belt so that I can help in contributing to something even better and more successful in the future.
The president of the Sant'Anna Institute, Dr. Cristiana Panicco, even came by for her own personal tour!
