Correction: Inessa Kosub was incorrectly identified as “Vanessa Cosub.”

San Antonio’s contemporary art community is growing thanks to art galleries like Blue Star Contemporary Arts, an arts complex which is located in the heart of Southtown.

“It used to be a place where they made ice,” said Deliasofia Zacarias, a senior at Trinity who interned at Blue Star this past summer.

For almost 30 years, this gallery has been showcasing not only local contemporary art, but also regional and international art as well. Over the past summer, Blue Star, along with Artpace, has been giving Trinity students the opportunity to intern with them through their partnership with Trinity’s Arts, Letters, and Enterprise program.

Zacarias found out about the internship last spring through Patricia Simonite, professor of art and art history at Trinity, and immediately applied.

“I have been very interested in interning in the art industry” Zacarias said. The studio art and business administration double major knew this internship would give her the experience she needs to pursue her career in the art world. “It aligned with everything I wanted to do” Zacarias said.

She worked with Blue Star Contemporary’s public relations director Inessa Kosub on graphic design for the gallery, updated their website, managed their social media and created content for their accounts, which allowed her to combine and advance her passion for art and her technical business skills. She also got to meet different artists throughout the summer, such as a photographer from England.

Other than learning how public relations for Blue Art Contemporary works, she learned about the importance of proper marketing for the gallery’s target customers. Blue Star has been aiming to attract military families as well as college students, since San Antonio is a hub for both military bases and universities.

“Their goal is educate the general public about what contemporary art really is,” Zacarias said.

Zacarias’ 10-week summer internship is now turning into a part-time job for her as she is renewing her contract with Blue Star. This internship program is just another example why students should take advantage of the resources like Career Services provided at Trinity and to spend their summer gaining meaningful work experiences. Even though the school year just started, we recommend that you start job searching for next summer to avoid the risk of applying too late.