Innovation Design & Art Internship

The Internship that defined my Senior Year of Undergrad

Published June 13, 2024 by

Lara Holland

Being a student at the University of Denver provided me with room to grow my expertise in countless areas and expand my passions into starting my career.

While I endlessly tried to join clubs and get involved with projects at the start of my college experience, I came up with an idea. Rather than wait for the right opportunity, I decided to establish my own registered student organization at the University of Denver. I wanted to sow the seeds to allow students to freely explore creative projects and building new skills in a structured environment outside of the classroom. The overall goal for my club was to bring together students from different majors with an array of skills to create long-term polished projects. This club could enhance career opportunities and portfolio building for students who want to learn how to use their strengths and passions in a collaborative workspace. We decided to name it the DU Innovation Design & Art Club (IDxA)

After a few years of recruiting members and working on smaller projects, we finally had a team of dedicated creatives to accomplish our biggest feat. Through our experience collaborating with the Community Commons on past projects, we were given the opportunity to start creating a mural in the largest community hub on campus. Although there were talks of starting this huge project since the start of 2023, we really started drafting proposals and making a plan in January 2024. By April 2024, our project, was approved, funded, and I was brought onto the team to manage the project as an internship.

To say the least, this was our coolest opportunity yet to contribute to our campus and community through art.

As the leaders of the Innovation Design and Art club we couldn't just make a big drawing on the wall. We had to make 4 different murals, adhere them to 4 different columns, and use 4 or more different mediums. After all, this project was the culmination of our skills and passion for our school for the 4D experience. All of the planning and material acquisition up until the start of May led up to the creation and installation during a short period.

What is the 4D experience?

In summary, the 4D experience promotes steps to ensure students have a balanced college life that enriches our present and future-selves.

According to the University of Denver the 4D Experience helps in:

• Advancing Intellectual Growth: Deepen your understanding of the world in and out of the classroom. Work alongside faculty conducting research that improves the world. And enjoy mentorship made possible by a low faculty-student ratio. 

• Pursuing Careers & Lives of Purpose:     Receive mentorship at our Burwell Center for Career Achievement. Connect with a global network of alumni working in fields you’re passionate about. And learn how to connect the dots between your learning and where you want to go. 

• Promoting Well-being: Learn how wellness supports all your goals by exploring well-being from a big-picture perspective. Achieve social, emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial wellness and develop meaningful connections to others. 

• Exploring Character: Ask and answer important questions about who you are, what you value, who you want to be and your effect on your communities. Use this knowledge to envision—and then build—your future.  

Here is How we used 4D in our Art

We connected each column to represent a part of our experience at DU based on how we personally connected the content.