Name: Kenna Pettigrew
Class Year: 2026
Major: History of Art
Minors: Education & Museum Studies
Hometown: Shreveport, LA
Internship Organization: Spiral Q
Internship Title: Civic Engagement Summer of Service
Location: Philadelphia, PA
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
I apprentice under a studio manager at an arts & social justice nonprofit in West Philadelphia called Spiral Q! Day-to-day, I am responsible for packing supplies for events we have coming up and maintaining/organizing/cleaning the studio. I have also been working on an overarching oral history project Spiral Q is doing to explore and document their partnerships in movements and organizations across Philly. The project is a video series, and I have a production role, which means I make puppets and props that will be in the final version!
Why did you apply for this internship?
I applied for this internship because ever since moving to ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ as a freshman, I wanted to spend as much time in the city as possible. I have had a lot of fun exploring the city for fun in my free time, and I wanted the chance to be there daily, get to know the community better, and be a part of programming that benefits them. I am also an organizer with a couple of different social justice organizations on campus, and I wanted a chance to make connections in the world of organizing in the city!
Was there anything special about how you found this internship?
I actually found out about my host organization, Spiral Q, by word of mouth from my friend and West Philly Native, Carmen Siftar ('25). She grew up attending a huge parade & Pageant that Spiral Q puts on every year. It is called the Peoplehood Parade!
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
My favorite part of this internship has been that it wasn't what I expected. I expected to be working in a corporate environment doing work to build Spiral Q's archive. Instead, working on this oral history project has been much more creatively guided, and I have gotten the chance to learn a lot of new artistic skills, like paper mache, cardboard construction, screenprinting, and more!
What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn't expect?
I didn't expect that the workplace environment would be so warm and friendly! I expected things to feel very hierarchical, and assumed that I would get stuck doing a lot of grunt work as an intern. Instead, the workplace environment is much more collaborative-- there are several times each week that my boss will step in to help me with a task, or when other folks in the office ask for and value my input on an upcoming decision.
Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?
Like I said previously, I've had the opportunity to build a lot of creative skills having this job. Beyond just building tangible physical skills, like painting a banner, I'm learning to trust myself in these processes, troubleshoot, and be less afraid to make mistakes. When I started building my first puppet at work, my boss told me, "Don't treat it like it's precious." I really value that advice as someone who has historically been afraid to make mistakes or experiment!
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?
The biggest challenge is that because Spiral Q partners with various different community groups and programs, we are often at the whim of other people's schedules! Often, we go into the day thinking it will look one way and may have to completely pivot. I would say that as an organization we are very flexible and adaptable.
Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?
art, community, joy
exciting, meaningful, stunning
(My boss always says things (literally anything) are "stunning.")
What is most rewarding about your internship?
The most rewarding part of my internship has been seeing people show up for and be touched by our work. We do a lot of programming for kids in West Philly whose schools are under-resourced, for people who use drugs, and for other activist groups in our area. The thing these people all have in common is that they need guidance or exposure when it comes to harnessing the power of art, and we get to bring that to them.
Career & Civic Engagement Center History of Art Education Museum Studies