(2020) A day in the life of a Lynden Sculpture gardens art intern.

By: Skylar Smith (Lynden Sculpture Garden)

A day in the life of a Lynden Sculpture gardens art intern.

On a typical day when we are having a camp/workshop, I arrive at Lynden around 12 which is an hour before the kids start to show up in order to help set up. Depending on the camp the setup is different but it also varies day to day. Today I woke up, got ready and headed to Lynden around 11:30 am. Once I get to Lynden I put on my mask and hand sanitizer and headed inside. Once I get up to the studio I ask Jeremy what I can do to help and he typically gives me materials to prepare for the kids. Then we go outside and head over to the tents. Once we are at the tents we set up the tables and stools and clean everything. After that we set up a basket with all the materials the kids will need for the project we are doing that day and set a basket at each seat. Once we are done setting up Jeremy goes over to the check in table and checks in the kids. Jeremy then sends the kids over to me at the tents and I get the kids started on a warm up project while we wait for everyone to join us. Once the kids have finished their warm up projects we all take a break and go to the bathroom and wash our hands before snack. After snack we typically start the main project that takes up the rest of the day. We explain what that day's project is and Jeremy shows a demo. Then we get everyone started on it. If the kids are all working well and there aren't any more questions Jeremy and I do the project too! Towards the end of the day which is around 4 we start to clean up. The kids are usually eager to help. After all the kids are checked out and have gone home Jeremy and I will disinfect all the materials used that day along with the stools and tables. Then we pack up and head home.

The first few weeks of working at Lynden were a bit rough. My mom passed away the week I was supposed to start my internship so I needed some time to figure everything out and get back on my feet. Everyone at Lynden was very supportive which helped a lot. Then I got really sick about a week into the program and found out I had appendicitis. I ended up having to stay in the hospital a few days and then needed about a week to recover. This happened to be the first week of camp so i was pretty bummed i missed it but i was eager to get back. I am back now and hope to not miss another day.

Overall working at lynden is stress free and fun. I get to spend all day outside in nature by the ponds and sculptures doing unique art projects with great kids.

Here are some pictures from the past few days:

Here we have a picture I took of Jeremy doing the demo of the project we were doing that day.