Arts and Culture Data & Planning Intern

MAPC•Boston, MA

7d•Remote

About The Position

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is seeking an Arts and Culture Data and Planning Intern to support the Making Space for Art Project by contributing to a unique inventory of creative spaces in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville. The intern will also assist with other projects by organizing, compiling, and simplifying regional arts data, and researching arts and culture planning and policy across the region to inform a regional arts assessment. Working within the agency’s Arts & Culture Department and collaborating with the Data Services Department, the intern will collect information on creative spaces through research and outreach to municipal staff and developers, recording this information in the Making Space for Art Airtable base. Additionally, the intern will compile, organize, and inventory existing tabular and spatial data from Arts & Culture planning work, research regional arts and culture planning and policy conditions, and undertake other assigned arts planning tasks based on the active project portfolio. MAPC is the Regional Planning Agency (RPA) for metropolitan Boston, focused on sustainable development, regional collaboration, and fostering an equitable and resilient region, guided by its regional plan, MetroCommon2050. MAPC has approximately 110 full-time employees in a downtown Boston office. This internship is remote, and interns are not expected to come into the office regularly. Candidates must reside in Massachusetts during their remote work period. MAPC emphasizes professional development and encourages staff to develop innovative ideas to enhance planning and policy work. This role offers an opportunity to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary, and innovative environment with professionals dedicated to building a more sustainable and equitable future for Greater Boston.

Requirements

Currently enrolled as a student.
Strong understanding of MetroBoston geography and development, cultural space, and zoning contexts.
Ability to interpret and make judgments about ambiguous space characteristics.
Strong data management and organizational skills, with a personal commitment to the quality of the products’ content.
Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in written form, with external partners including municipal staff, real estate developers, and the general public.
Self-motivation and ability to work independently.
Must have legal authorization to work in the USA.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience with ESRI software, including ArcGIS and ArcCatalog.
Direct experience with real estate development, planning, or policy in Metro Boston.
Familiarity with topics and principles related to arts and culture, regional planning, sustainable development, and social equity.
Experience working with data sets from federal, state, and local agencies.

Responsibilities

Research significant creative spaces to ensure comprehensive information.
Coordinate with municipal staff to collect missing data or clarify content.
In coordination with Data Services staff, transform arts space data from disparate sources to fit the Making Space for Art data schema and integrate data collected through Arts & Culture Department projects into database.
Report bugs to Digital Services staff and questions about data classification to Arts & Culture staff.
Review and compile a range of existing data generated through arts and culture projects, including but not limited to: Revive Arts Indicators, Creative Economy analysis, Regional Immigrant Entrepreneur project, Regional Trails project maps, and Municipal policy research.
Create an inventory of broader Arts and Culture data resources and datasets for review with Data Services.
Where easily completed, acquire updated data sets.
Support ongoing arts and culture planning and artist-engaged projects managed and staffed by the Arts & Culture Department as needed.