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INTERNSHIPS

The Sewell Archive offers two creative internship programs for unique individuals who love the arts, collaborative learning, healthy living, and fun! The program’s focus is on art, photography, video, sculpture, bookmaking, architecture and graphic design.

Level One ”Dare to Discover”: Interns come to Maui for a six month stay. We give you a small cottage on our 17 acre organic art estate. You assist us in our studio with a variety of art projects from films, photo shoots and and book projects to large sculptures, structues and multi-media gallery installations.

Fee: No Charge

 

Level Two “Dream Machine”: You bring a project and we assist you. You stay in one of our premium cottages. We connect you with a mentor and partners who guide you in ways that assist you in achieving your dream.

Fee: $1,000 per Week

PAST INTERNS: Ann Mur, Holly Do, Megan Philibin, David Rieck, Rebecca Ou, Skyler Wang, Yi Yang, Anh Tran, Tony Kahn, Elizabeth McGowan, Alex Mitchel, Richard Jenkins, Sharon Gault, Mykle Coyne, Greg Clarke, John Tunningley, Jeff M. Jones, John Gerneth, Jim Koberling, Addison Jones, Raphael Grover

Dearest Tom, 

 

I wrote this as I flew away, the lights of the Kahului airport disappearing below me. I stared in amazement, thinking back to when I arrived here half a year ago. Who was I then, anyways? Scared, hopeful, ready for an adventure. But I told myself to be brave like a roaring lion, and my, what a splendid adventure it was. 

 

As I promised, I’ve compiled a brief “Sewell Intern Manifesto”, at least, as I experienced it.
 

Be open; be a sponge. 

Let life and learning come rushing in, and you’ll be amazed at what comes your way. 
 

Begin each day with, “What fun will we have today?” 

You’ll be sure to start it off right.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(An excerpt from my notebook- what I jotted down at one of the famous Monday Meetings...) 


Let “health and happiness and art” be your motto.

The golden triage. 

Masticate. 

Eat slowly, and in moderation. Avoid drinking water. Eat good, healthful food. Appreciate it. 

 

Move your body.

Swim in the ocean daily, if possible. Run. Practice yoga. 

 

"Wait" is a four letter word.
Don't let life/opportunities/work pass you by. If you're waiting for someone to call, don't. Call them first. Be forward. Make it happen. 
 

Find mentors. 

Work with them, if you can. Absorb their wisdom. Channel the features that make you come alive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try things out, just for the heck-a-doodle.
Rather than getting caught up in the planning phase forever. Have fun in the process.  

 

Play chess.

And appreciate that it's really more about the camaraderie. Absorb the logic and life lessons while you're at it. 
 

Seek serendipity. 

Talk to people, say hello, tell them your hopes and dreams, and be receptive to theirs. You never know what kinds of miracles can unfold. 

 

Don't let opportunities pass you by.
Even if you have no idea what you're doing. You have to at least give it a shot. Uncertainty is sometimes essential to the creative process. 

 

----

 

I could never have expected so much of what I learned in Maui on the Sewell Estate. Even now I find it hard to articulate the kind of character-building lessons I learned indirectly. I was able to observe and test out new ways of being, to be set on fire, to be made bigger. To believe that there was a whole new world out there that I could be a part of if only I could be bold. Somehow, I outgrew the person I thought I wanted to be, and came out of it feeling more myself, only more vivid. Thank you, thank you, thank you (many, many times over) dear Tom. It's been splendid. 

 

Miss you dearly. 

 

Love, love, love,

ANN

 

ddd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A letter from Jeff Jones, a previous intern:

 

Tom,

 

Working with you has been a life changing experience. I feel like I’ve been given a great gift. I now feel more at peace with myself. Additionally, I feel like a have a better attitude about life in general. I am honored that you took me under your wing. I will always value you as a mentor.

 

One of the areas I am the least competent is my social skills. Observing your actions carefully, I was able to learn them from the master. Previously I did not make an effort to seek out many friends. I now see the joy and inherent worth of having many friends after having seen the intellectual and spiritual support they provided. I will certainly continue to make a conscious effort to work on my social skills to build up my own network of friends.

 

Before coming I also did not lead a very healthy lifestyle. I ate a lot of frozen and canned food. I definitely had been getting less exercise than in my teenage years too. I think that my body is still pretty good, but I know it could be a slippery slope later in life. Thank goodness I learned how to cook, eat healthier, and have an exercise routine. It might seem like I could have learned these things anywhere, but I really needed a paradigm change to see these things. I will continue to work on living a healthy lifestyle and possibly even try eating some more vegetables at some point.

 

I will always be fascinated with your sugar mill sculptures. Although I had seen photographs of the sugar mill sculptures before I came to your estate, I never realized that the patterns on them were not made by you, but by the sugar mill. I look forward to seeing your property when the size and number of sculptures increases. In the future, I will certainly publish a book about them. I can see them becoming a monument on the level of the Watts Towers. I admire how you have been able to take materials, which would be considered ugly pieces of scrap metal by most people, and display them in such a way that allows others to see their intrinsic beauty. In some sculptures the incorporation of trash is a gimmick, since you notice it is trash when you see it. In contrast, when one sees your sculptures from the sugar mill, trash never comes to mind.

 

Your optimistic outlook no doubt has allowed you to create these works in addition to your other artistic endeavors. I have observed how you have taken bad things that happen to you in life and turn them around to make them good things. You create your own good luck. It doesn’t just happen by chance. Seeing this has been such a great inspiration.

 

Thanks for being such a great role model to me!

 

Jeff M. Jones

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