American Visionary Art Museum Development Internship

At the beginning of the spring 2015 semester I began an internship at the American Visionary Art Museum located in Baltimore as the Development Intern. AVAM was founded by Rebecca Alban Hoffberger in 1984. Rebecca had an idea for a unique new museum that would emphasize intuitive creative invention and grassroots genius. There are now more than 40 museums and major visionary art environments open to the public around the world, but AVAM is still the largest. It continues to influence and inspire museum and city planner thinking all over the world.

But, what is “visionary art”? When I began my internship it was important that I understand how the museum defined this unique genre of art. The Mission Statement defines visionary art as such:

“Visionary art as defined for the purposes of the American Visionary Art Museum refers to art produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that reveals foremost in the creative act itself.”

Those who work at AVAM consider visionary art to be something that begins by listening to the inner voices of the soul, and often may not even be thought of as ‘art’ by its creator.

As a non-profit organization, AVAM relies on donations and grants to operate. Acquiring funds is the duty of the Development Associate I work under. As the Development Intern I assist in fundraising projects by conducting research for potential donation sources. The museum recently organized a musical benefit night to raise money for the annual Kinetic Sculpture Race. I compiled a list of businesses to contact and prepared the appeal letters that will be sent. On another occasion I conducted research on fundraising galas hosted by similar organizations in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. My supervisor intends to use the information I compiled to plan the museum’s 25^th Anniversary Gala this fall/winter. I have also conducted research to find grants that will potentially fit the needs of the museum.

AVAM receives regular funds through donations and membership funds. The museum keeps extensive records of these donations. In the development department I track donations. Each donation also receives a personalized thank you letter signed by the museum director and founder that I put together and mail each week. This kind of work is essential for maintaining stable relations with crucial donors. I also track guests admitted to the museum for free and discounted rates, so the staff can keep track of money lost, and adjust.

In this position I have learned about daily museum administration. Even though I work in the Development Office, AVAM has a small staff. I eat lunch each day with the head of marketing, the head of event planning, the education directors, and the museum’s exhibit designer. As a result, I have gleaned information from the rest of the staff as well. Thus far, my experience at the American Visionary Art Museum has been meaningful and realistic.