Grad student interning at Kennedy Center

Graduate student Katherine Goliver knows that more goes into the performing arts than meets the eye. \nGoliver is interning at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. \nThe Kennedy Center is known internationally for being a leader in performing arts and arts education. As host for more than 3,000 performances each year, the center seeks to showcase the talent of national and international artists as well as to provide opportunities for budding artists and performers, according to the Kennedy Center's Web site. Interns within the Kennedy Institute for Arts Management -- like Goliver -- do not work to improve performance skills but receive hands-on experience as managers of the arts.\nAs a student at Columbus College of Arts and Design in Ohio, Goliver became interested in arts management while taking a class in London that focused on museum studies. \nGoliver said she enjoys the idea of arts management because it allows her to contribute to art education. \n"It's an important function to bring arts to everyone," she said. \nGoliver learned about the opportunity to intern at the Kennedy Center in her first semester at IU. She said IU adequately prepared her for the internship. In a fundraising class, Goliver said she learned a "strong basis on how the development field actually functions." \nAs a requirement for a master's degree in Arts Administration, she had to seek out an internship related to her field. Goliver said she thought the internship at the Kennedy Center provided great opportunities for her and would best conclude her education. \n"They care about making it an interesting opportunity for students," she said. \nAs an intern, Goliver works with Major Gifts Development, which secures gifts of more than $25,000 each year. She is responsible for several projects, including the research of people who would be interested in giving to the center and individuals who have mentioned the Kennedy Center in their will. \nThe adjustment to Washington, D.C. was a smooth one for Goliver, and she said she has enjoyed working with the other interns and the senior staff. \n"It's a nice little community here," she said. \nDoug Booher, the director of the IU Auditorium, was Goliver's professor in Performing Arts \nCenter Management last semester. He said Goliver's "dry sense of humor" worked well to create group cohesion in the classroom and with the organizations in which she served. Booher said in an e-mail that Goliver "has the skills, education and personality to be a world class administrator." \nGoliver said she plans to stay in Washington, D.C., and has already applied for jobs in the area. \n"I'm just very happy and fortunate to be here," she said. \nThe Kennedy Center is accepting applications until March 1 for its internship program. Interested students can visit the Web site http://www.kennedy-center.org/ for more information.