Sanford Arts Internship

Promote Wellness & Healing with Creativity

The Sanford Arts Internship is available to any post-secondary or graduate student in their junior or senior year who is currently enrolled in a visual arts, art education, music, theater, dance, psychology, counseling or sociology program.

As interns, students will help the Sanford Arts program fulfill its mission: To foster positive relationships and experiences with participants through positive and empowering arts-based creative activities.

The majority of time spent as an intern will be dedicated to collaborating and meeting with participants to encourage wellness. We trust the process of creativity and creative interactions to do the work of promoting wellness and healing.

Download the full Sanford Arts internship description.

What to Expect from the Internship

The Sanford Arts Internship seeks to provide interns with a well-rounded set of opportunities to work within different spaces. For an ideal internship, we require students to aspire to 200 hours - at least 15 hours per week during a semester, or 20 hours per week over the summer. We do acknowledge that conflicts occur and can be flexible as long as continuity and commitment on the part of the student remain. Other arrangements may be made in order to accommodate a particular student's schedule.

All Sanford Arts/Sanford USD Medical Center internships are unpaid. With reference to compensation, students may elect to earn college credit from their university. Sanford staff will work with students and university advisors in this endeavor.

Sanford Arts is now able to offer compensation to internship students - details discussed upon interview and acceptance.

How to Qualify for the Internship

In order to thrive in the hospital environment, students will need to be flexible, creative, mature, compassionate, and outgoing in their work at Sanford.

Sanford Arts requires students to work collaboratively with other artists as well as independently on projects. During the course of the internship, the primary responsibility of the student intern and the artist is to engage with participants working on various and collaborative artistic activities.

How to Apply for the Internship

Please send items 1-7 in one, completed envelope rather than in six different iterations:

  1. Application
  2. University transcript
  3. Up to 5 examples of work; or 2 audio examples of performances; or DVD of theater performance
  4. Self-evaluation
  5. 1-2-page essay regarding the goals you have for this internship and the connection to your career after university
  6. Three completed recommendations
  7. A professional resume

The application may be sent via email, or you may submit all materials via regular post.

Mail completed applications to:
Sanford Medical Center, c/o Jessie Park in Sanford Arts
Route #6881
1305 W. 18th Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57104