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At Bennington, students spend six weeks every year taking their skills and knowledge out of the classroom and applying them in the world of work. They use this annual work-learning opportunity—known as Field Work Term—to deepen their studies, challenge and test new ideas, and hone their direction for the future.

How did your Field Work Term relate to (or diverge from!) your studies at Bennington?

has a mission to inspire art and events (among other things) around the northern Minnesota town of Detroit Lakes. They generally focus on giving exposure to local artists–visual, musical, and otherwise–by giving them a places to display and elevate their work.  

Last summer, they were also able to raise community sponsorships to bring the Danish artist  in to make his largest installation of Trolls. (Five in total! Plus an extra secret sculpture!)  

What did a typical day at your Field Work Term site look like? 

As soon as Bennington got out last spring, I went straight to Minnesota to help in the last part of the building process for the Trolls.

Every morning, I would go to the local headquarters and get dispersed to a volunteer site to help complete the sculpture there, which was one of the specific trolls.

Later in the summer, I helped support the local Trucks and Tunes events and created artwork projects for kids for the local Crazy Days event.

What surprised or challenged you the most about your position?

I was excited to get to use a lot of new tools to help create the sculptures, including nail guns, caulk, and varnish. I learned a lot about collaborating and interfacing with community members, whether while building the trolls or selling merchandise at Trucks and Tunes or at Crazy Days. 

What do you hope to do in the future—for your next Field Work Term and beyond Bennington?

I hope that my experiences with this and other Field Work Terms will help me get a job in a creative position.