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NON-PROFIT INTERNSHIPS

INTERNS WANTED: SUMMER 2026


Work Study Opportunity



Design & Production Interns  |  Stipend + Expense Reimbursement  |  Carbondale, CO
1–3 Positions  |  6–15 hrs/week  |  6-week minimum commitment

Fair warning: we make big things here. Parade floats. Large-scale installations. Print projects that fill walls and stop people in their tracks. When a deadline hits, the whole shop moves — fast, together, and with intention. If that sounds exciting to you, keep reading.

What The Project Shop Is
A community nonprofit and working arts studio dedicated to service-learning through printmaking, design, and hands-on production. We engage student-artists of all ages in creative work that serves real community needs — including public installations, print exhibitions, and large-scale collaborative projects that go out into the world with intention and meaning

We are a small operation. That means every person here matters, every hour counts, and the work you do will actually show up in the world.

We reimburse reasonable internship-related expenses — think transportation to and from the shop and materials for personal projects. We’re a small nonprofit, so we keep it honest: this isn’t a living stipend, but we won’t ask you to spend your own money to show up and do good work. And on crunch days, we eat together.


What You’ll Do
  • Take care of the Shop: cleaning, organizing, prepping, and keeping production moving
  • Get hands-on with screen printing, letterpress, and fabrication
  • Assist with on-site art installations and large-scale community projects (yes, including parade builds — it’s exactly as chaotic and wonderful as it sounds)
  • Support crunch-time production when deadlines are real, and the stakes are high
  • Dig into special projects: screen reclaiming, letterpress type sorting, materials sorting
  • Engage directly with the public through free community offerings and open studio events


What You’ll Actually Learn

This isn’t busywork. Every task here connects to how real creative projects get made and delivered. Interns develop tangible skills in project execution — moving an idea from concept through design, production, and into the world. You’ll practice design problem-solving under real constraints: time, materials, audience, and purpose. And you’ll learn what it means to implement — to follow through, troubleshoot, and finish something that other people will actually see and use.


Working alongside community members and collaborating organizations, interns also build confidence engaging with the public in a creative context — participating in events, installations, and free programming that The Project Shop brings to the Roaring Fork Valley.


Your Own Project — and Why It Matters

Interns have the option to develop a personal print project from concept to finished work. Inspired by our Community Service Print Projects program, we invite you to identify a critical issue you care about and give it a voice — through design, printmaking, and your own hands.


This program engages student-artists to express their voices on critical issues by developing skills in learning design, printmaking, and production — with access to equipment and instruction in a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment.


Personal projects could become part of an exhibition, a campaign, or simply something you’re proud to carry into the world. This is your chance to say something that matters — using the tools of the trade.


You’re a Good Fit If You...
  • Are curious, eager to learn, and willing to show up and try — no previous experience required
  • Love making things, or think you might — and want to find out
  • Are interested in printmaking, graphic design, fine arts, bookmaking, or community arts
  • Can take direction, ask questions, and believe in communicating clearly
  • Have reliable transportation to Carbondale


You’ll Walk Away With

Real experience working inside a small, mission-driven creative organization — where every project is a problem to solve, every deadline is a team effort, and the work actually matters to the community it serves. Interns learn how to collaborate under pressure, adapt when things shift, contribute to large-scale public art, and use creative skills in service of something bigger than themselves. Plus, if you choose, a personal print piece that says something you care about.


To Apply, Send Us
  • A few sentences about yourself and why you want to be here
  • Work samples, a portfolio link, or photos of things you’ve made — or just tell us what you’re into
  • Your availability and ideal start date
  • Bonus: tell us about the topic you might want your personal project to address

[email protected]


The Project Shop is committed to inclusiveness and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds.