This summer, I completed an internship at Gallery Les Bois, London’s first Sustainable Art Gallery, based in Chelsea, London. My time interning was incredibly diverse and each day brought new experiences and knowledge. I began my internship in July, assisting on the gallery floor at Gallery Les Bois’ Summer Exhibition ‘Offline’ in Notting Hill. This show exhibited woodwork sculptures, large-scale paintings, ceramics, and a centrepiece triptych derived from a collection of sustainably innovative artists who I got to know over my time at the exhibition such as Volcan, Julian Emsley, Oliver Akdeniz, Jasmine Pradissitto, Miranda Carter, and Steve Foster. At the exhibition, I gained experience in art handling, curation, art packaging and shipping, understanding art sales, and assisting on client site visits. I guided visitors around the exhibition, taking them through the processes and meanings behind the collection, facilitating relationships between the gallery and potential clients. Getting to meet and learn from the artists behind these pieces of art was an invaluable experience, it expanded my understanding of their environmentally-conscious methods, my artistic networks, and I hope to foster these working relationships further into my career.

After the exhibition closed, I moved back to the gallery’s office based in Chelsea, working alongside the gallery Director and Co-Founder. My time working in Chelsea was incredibly dynamic and I took on many enriching challenges which have informed my skills for working in the art world. Some of my favourite endeavours with the gallery were in the communications and curation sectors; from creating curatorial pitches for future exhibitions, pop up displays, and the programme of the gallery year to proposing press opportunities with newspapers, magazines, and podcasts. I got the opportunity to attend multiple networking events with the gallery Director, which was immeasurably beneficial and gave me a great sense of what working and networking in the art world is really like. I met many inspiring figures in art, textiles, architecture, design, and sustainability, and this experience vastly broadened my professional connections. In addition to this, I independently wrote press releases for the gallery; a six-page feature spread published in the Sustainable Business Magazine (UK Publication) and an interview I conducted with the Founder and Director of Gallery Les Bois for the Unsustainable Magazine (New Zealand Publication).

During my internship, I took on the role of Editor-in-Chief of the gallery’s resident publication, Les Bois Magazine. Curating a team of twenty contributors, I organised, edited, and graphic-designed the entire magazine from scratch. The article topics included The Future of Sustainable Engineering by Angus Ivory, Preserving the Arts and the Ecosystem: Striving for Sustainability in the Conservation of Art by Jennifer Mak, How Sustainable are UK Art Schools? By Madeleine Chalmers, The Nature of Contemporary Art: Painting and Sculpting the Environment by Millie Jeffery, and The Art of Imagining Change: Art and Activism by Niklas Todt. A particular highlight from this experience was interviewing American Artist Michelle Gagliano, who provided great insight into sustainable practice in her art and studio. I was lucky enough to meet Michelle when she visited the UK, on the final day of my internship, and I was completely fascinated by her depth of knowledge and experience as an artist. I really look forward to sharing my interview with her. The Les Bois Magazine will be published and go to print in December, and I will return to the gallery for its launch in London! I am very proud of all the contributions in this edition of the magazine, and I thoroughly enjoyed orchestrating the articles. This was my first time taking on such a role and I really enjoyed the experience; to such an extent that I have recently taken up the position of Editor in-Chief of the Cambridge Journal of Visual Culture, which my experience at Les Bois Magazine has greatly influenced.

I am very excited to continue my work with Gallery Les Bois as an Art Consultant and Social Media Manager, and of course, with the gallery magazine later on in the year. I am extremely grateful to Claire-Julia Hill, Steve Foster, and LEAP who all facilitated this internship for me. Claire and Steve fostered an encouraging, kind, and energetic working environment, and their leadership was very positive, impactful, and friendly – making all the difference to my first experience working in an art gallery. I also feel very fortunate to have spent time with the wonderful artists, sustainability experts, videographers, photographers, art advisors, and creatives I met during this time. I had an extremely beneficial and enjoyable experience in this internship, which has excited me greatly to enter the art world after graduation. Thank you LEAP, Claire, Steve, and all those at Gallery Les Bois!