INTERN-AL Communications: a Brown student's summer at AS220
AS220 Summer 2026 Intern - Darian! Mural by AS220 Youth Media Crew & Kendel
From June to August of this year, AS220 was honored to host an iProv Summer Fellow through the Swearer Center at Brown University. We could have not been happier with our student, Darian! He was a pleasure to work with, tackling everything from social media content creation to fielding phone calls from a variety of folks wanting to get involved with AS220. If he got even half as much out of this experience as he gave to us, then it was a smashing success for everyone.
Read on below to hear about Darian's summer internship experience in his own words:
My name is Darian, and I’m a rising sophomore at Brown University. This summer, I came to AS220 as an eight-week intern, creating social media content for the organization.
I was introduced to AS220 early in my first year at Brown, when a friend of mine invited me to a show he was doing here. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was immediately stunned by what I found. The Main Stage was unlike anything I had ever seen before: a small stage in an intimate space where musicians from all walks of life could come together to perform a show. There was a gallery exhibit on the walls, so the room was covered in incredible paintings. The stage and the pillars in the middle of the room were decked out with stickers, writing, and decorations. It was a space with a tremendous amount of personality, and I immediately fell in love with it.
I was excited to get to experience AS220 from behind the scenes and to meet the team behind this incredible organization. When I stepped into the office for the first time, I immediately felt the incredible personality of AS220. Every inch of the office was covered in posters, pictures, and vibrant colors, and I could feel all the life and passion that had been poured into this space.
Over time, I learned about all the opportunities that AS220 offered. It wasn’t just a stage for live shows. The Community Studios offers a space where artists of all levels can come together to practice their art, AS220 Youth brings young people into this incredible community of artists, the galleries give artists across Rhode Island a chance to showcase their work, and so much more.
I helped create social media content to promote AS220. One of my tasks was documenting various parts of the organization, and I would go around our campus gathering valuable footage of activities happening there. I recorded gallery installations, filmed Youth and Community Studios members at work, photographed AS220’s three buildings, and more. I got a glimpse into all of the different parts of the organization, and each one was inspiring to me.
One of my main projects was conducting interviews with staff members for social media. As I met and interviewed the staff, I felt the deep passion that each of them has for creating a space for the arts like this. Everyone is fully invested in their work to keep this organization running, and it was truly inspiring to see how much love and care is invested into this incredible place.
I am infinitely thankful to AS220 for the opportunity to intern here, and will carry this beautiful place in my heart wherever I go.