masharu studio internship

masharu studio is an Amsterdam-based visual arts and design studio gathered around the work of the artist masharu. We work at the crossover of art, design, science and traditional practices. Our main project, the Museum of Edible Earth, has existed since 2017 and consists of a travelling collection of edible soils gathered all over the world. For this project we work with archiving methods, installation art, video work and graphic design visualization. We work both in Amsterdam with our local collaborators here, and internationally with our foreign partners. 

masharu identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them. Our studio is an inclusive platform where gender is an individual choice. 
Therefore it is primordial to be familiar with this or eager to learn about it, and respect everyone’s gender identification and pronouns in different languages, including, but not limited to English and Dutch.

Working within the masharu studio is an opportunity to develop experience in an international art studio working with various environments (art institutions, design studio’s, independent art spaces, scientific institutes and community spaces). Our open internship positions are:

1. All-round studio assistant
– assistance with the preparations, build-up and build-down of exhibitions;
– maintaining digital and physical earth archive and eventually describing the tastes of earth;
– maintaining PR archive;
– assistance with financial administration; 
– being involved into research and production processes for the projects of the studio.

2. Fundraising assistant
Search for fundraising possibilities and producion of fundraising applications.

3. Website developer and Multimedia designer
Developing WordPress website of the Museum of Edible Earth www.museumofedible.earth. Being engaged into multimedia design processes, such as developing an interactive map pinpointing the earth samples of the Museum of Edible Earth to their place of origin. This map will be an online interactive design with the purpose of being an automatic system, compiling the new samples added on our website directly to the map.

4. Social media manager
Creating and posting content on our social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Vimeo and Youtube), promoting our platforms, conceptualizing content/post strategy, increasing audience.

5. Photographer and audio-visual specialist
Work with audio and visual material, editing and archiving; creating new audiovisual content, such as photography of earth samples and documentation of the events.

– Interest in art and design, participatory art, art-science, inclusive environments;
– Communications skills, transparency on working process and responsiveness; 
– Enthusiasm and ability to take initiative;
– English proficiency – C1 or higher;
– Detail-orientation;
– Ability to be on time and meeting deadlines;
– Work autonomy and ability to tackle problems independently, such as, for instance, finding solutions online.

– All-round studio assistant: Autonomy and initiative-driven mind, problem solving skills;
– Website developer: Experience with WordPress back-end, and knowledge of coding (CSS); preferably experience with interactive map software (Umaps or others);

– Photographer and audio-visual specialist: Experience with Adobe package or alternatives; experience with handling audio-visual equipment;
– Fundraising: Good writing skills in English, preferably experience with fundraising;
– Social media manager: Knowledge of Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and preferably more social media, experience in social media promotion, good writing skills, image and video editing skills.

More skills that will be appreciated
– Knowledge of Dutch language;
– Experience with simple databases and data sets, such as Excel, Google Sheets, etc;
– Experience with Google drive and Google docs or alternative systems.

The internships are offered for a minimum duration of 3 months with the involvement of minimum 2 days per week. Both full-time and part-time internships are possible. The starting dates are open and flexible. The internship will take place in the archive of the Museum of Edible Earth at Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaansestraat 141 in Amsterdam, along with the house office of masharu in Kleiburg Amsterdam, as well as in the partner locations across the Netherlands.

A hybrid intership with a combination of work on distance and in physical spaces in the Netherlands can be considered.

Unfortunately at the moment there is no budget available neither for the internship fees or travel costs.

The interns of the masharu studio acquire knowledge and experience of the functioning of an international art studio based in the Netherlands but working with the entire world. They get extensive knowledge about our network of collaborators (institutions, artists, designers, scientists and social workers), which offers great networking opportunities.

Our studio provides a supportive, diverse and inclusive environment allowing interns to grow in a progressive set-up.

Some of the former interns in masharu studio are now engaged with the studio and the Museum of Edible Earth as freelancers.

Abla (she/her) all-around studio assistant – 2024: “Working for masharu was a very valuable and enriching experience. I was able to conduct research and aid with more hands-on projects. My participation within production processes for the projects of the studio has taught me so much about working within independent art spaces. It is a very encouraging and supportive environment which values everybody’s contributions.”

Tom Ossendorp (he/him) media designer-2023-2024: ”A very interesting internship experience. I had the chance to use the skills that I learned from school and use it in the projects we did over the course of four months. I shot two videos on location, then edited and posted them on various platforms. I also did a lot of photoshopping and making posts for Instagram, Flickr and the website of the museum. I even learned and did a bunch of new things, like working with programmes such as WordPress.”

Donja de Jong (she/her) multimedia designer and social media manager – 2023: “It was an interesting internship where I learned about a lot of things, including geophagy and the Museum of Edible Earth. I had the opportunity to develop several different skills, such as working with WordPress, Trello, and Flickr; social media managing; long form video editing and working with the sample archive.”

Jennifer Koning (she/he/they) multimedia and social media manager – 2023: “It was a very unique internship where I was introduced to geophagy and its fascinating history in many different cultures. I got to work with several programs such as WordPress, Trello, Flickr, Social media platforms, Google spreadsheets and Google drive. This allowed me to grow my skills and learn new things as well.”

Anja Tsalko (they/them) website developer – 2023: “A useful and insightful experience. It is possible to develop a variety of skills in the context of an art organisation. I recently started learning front-end development, having no previous experience with coding. Thanks to the trust of masharu I fundamentally improved my skills by creating a whole page. I also learned about fundraising and art organisation management. The atmosphere throughout the internship was welcoming and understanding, which definitely upkept the motivation.”

Sophia Komarov-Reinisch (they/them) fundraiser – 2022: “Working with masharu has been a really great experience, I worked remotely and felt that still all the necessary communication was present. masharu was great at listening to my ideas and explored my input and suggestions, making our collaboration extremely productive and very balanced. They were very kind and flexible to my schedule, and accommodated my circumstances as I was working from abroad, this meant that I thoroughly enjoyed interning for them and felt immensely respected throughout the process. An experience that has encouraged me to work with more artists in the hopes that it will be just as great and meaningful as my experience working with masharu. Their practice is truly interesting and I am very excited for their future projects to flourish.”

Ceyda Altun (she/her) multimedia designer and social media manager – 2022 : “A very inspiring internship where I was able to learn a lot of new skills. The first task was connected to web design. After I picked up more assignments including social media and arranging samples in the archive. This internship allowed me to develop my skills in WordPress and also learned me to work with new platforms such as Trello and Flickr.”

Pan Vanitcharoenthum  (he/him) multimedia designer – 2022: “It was a challenging, inspiring, and educational internship. My main job in the Museum Of Edible Earth is dealing with databases of earth samples on the website. Moreover, I got the opportunity to be part of a symposium at Wageningen University, which was a great chance for me to learn about an art scene where art and science collide.”

Marina Pankratova  (she/her) all-round studio assistant – 2021-2022 : “It was an inspiring acquaintance as well as a challenge. My first task was to organize the database of the museum’s collection in a new way. We spent an intensive week editing an exhibition catalog and arranging samples on the shelves in the studio. Of course I was curious to taste different earth.”

William Ageneau (he/him) website developer – 2021-2022 : “A very rich and formative international experience! This internship allowed me to develop qualities: autonomy, rigor, curiosity, surpassing oneself but also skills and knowledge: English practice, coding (CSS, PHP, XML, HTML, SCSS), research(Plugins, Source Code). 
The environment and the curiosity of the Museum Of Edible Earth’s universe really makes you want to get involved! “
After finishing two internships in 2021 and 2022, William Ageneau is still collaborating as a freelancer with the Museum of Edible Earth.

Anna Zamanipoor  (she/her) multimedia designer, photographer and social media manager – 2020-2022: “A very open and comfortable place and environment to do an internship. I learned a lot about photographing in detail, posting quality social media posts and doing all round graphic design. Every day was different, and I got to do many variations of work. I liked it so much that I even did a second internship here!”

SasaHara (they/them) all-round studio assistant – 2017-2022 : “In 2017 I moved from Paris to Amsterdam to do an internship in the studio of masharu. It has been a great experience, discovering their work, geophagy (practice of eating earth) and in general planting roots somewhere else than where I was born. Working with masharu has been the most developed work relationship I have ever built. It relies on mutual respect, complicity, understanding, and admiration. It showed me how important it is for me to work within intimate environments, with humxns I can be connected to and how this symbiosis leads to powerful work. In 4 years I have grown from intern to helping out here and there, and eventually becoming freelance project manager.”

Anastasia Coolagina (she/her) all-round studio assistant – 2013: “My internship with masharu was an experience that greatly enriched my technical skills in video production and communication skills in preparing exhibitions. It broadened my horizons on life in general and influenced my future career. Furthermore, being in Amsterdam, a city renowned for its art and culture, was a life-changing experience. I was able to immerse myself in the local art scene and interact with like-minded individuals, exchanging ideas and creative insights. This internship was a turning point in my life, and the skills I acquired have proven to be extremely useful in my career aspirations.”

Luuk van Veen (he/him) photographer and audio-visual specialist – 2021

Dave Soerjaman (he/him) multimedia designer and photographer – 2020

Dinesh Basnet (he/him) multimedia designer – 2019-2020

Jester van Schuylenburch (he/him) photographer – 2017-2019