Expanding Access: Open Source Curriculum for Fulton County & Beyond
Public Art Futures Lab at Fulton County Department of Arts & Culture
Addresses:
- 88 Lower Alabama Street, Atlanta, GA, 30303
- 141 Pryor St SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
Develop a scalable arts and technology curriculum to empower Fulton County libraries, community centers, and artists with resources for VR, AR, coding, and interactive arts, enhancing access to creative technology across the county.
Qualifications: For this internship, we are seeking candidates with an educational background, ideally in fields such as arts education, public art, digital arts, technology in the arts, or a related discipline. Some experience with curriculum development, community engagement, or teaching is highly desirable. Familiarity with data collection and analysis is beneficial, particularly as it relates to understanding community engagement and program effectiveness.
Interns should have a working knowledge or a strong interest in technologies such as VR/AR and digital design tools, as they will be assisting in developing accessible, tech-based art programs. Experience with platforms like Meta Quest, Blender, or similar digital/3D design software would be a bonus, but not required. We are looking for students who are comfortable working collaboratively, eager to explore innovative applications in public art, and capable of self-directed research, particularly in identifying new and free digital tools for use in arts education. Strong communication skills and a genuine interest in community-focused arts engagement are essential for success in this role.
Organization Information
Public Art Futures Lab at Fulton County Department of Arts & Culture
Addresses:
- 88 Lower Alabama Street, Atlanta, GA, 30303
- 141 Pryor St SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
https://publicartfutureslab.com
Organization Type: Government (County, City, State, or Federal)
Service Area: Fulton County
Flexible Workspaces Available? Yes
Project Information
Expanding Access: Open Source Curriculum for Fulton County & Beyond
Arts & Culture | Education & Learning | Innovation & Technology
Community Challenge Addressed: This project aims to close the gap in access to arts and technology resources across Fulton County, a geographically large and diverse area encompassing urban, suburban, and rural communities. Currently, exposure to VR headsets, specialized technology, and arts-integrated tech education is limited and often seen as niche or inaccessible. The Public Art Futures Lab has been working to bridge this gap by bringing VR headsets and arts technology workshops to libraries and community centers across the county, but the reach is currently constrained by the logistics of a single Arts Education Coordinator managing the equipment and delivering these programs across such a large area.
Fortunately, libraries within the county will now be acquiring their own VR headsets in 2025, establishing them as valuable community hubs for arts and technology access. This project seeks to develop a curriculum that can be shared with libraries and community centers, enabling local educators, librarians, and staff to integrate arts technology into their programming. By creating a curriculum focused on VR, AR, coding, and other interactive tech, we aim to empower more community members to explore and appreciate the potential of arts and technology as a vital part of public life.
This open source curriculum would create a more sustainable model that empowers local facilitators at community hubs to deliver meaningful arts tech experiences throughout Fulton County, regardless of their prior expertise. This project will ensure that exposure to arts technology is not limited by the Futures Lab’s current staffing, resources – allowing us to foster creativity, innovation, and learning in communities throughout the region.
Short Summary: Develop a scalable arts and technology curriculum to empower Fulton County libraries, community centers, and artists with resources for VR, AR, coding, and interactive arts, enhancing access to creative technology across the county.
Brief Summary: The responsive development of a scalable, open-source digital arts curriculum that equips libraries, community centers, and youth programs across Fulton County with the tools to teach emerging technologies, including VR, AR, and tech-infused arts. Interns will gather data from ongoing Public Art Futures Lab workshops, assessing participant engagement, preferences, and learning outcomes to inform curriculum development. This curriculum will empower local educators and community staff to facilitate arts and technology workshops that inspire creativity and broaden access to digital skills in diverse, geographically spread communities. By documenting effective practices and creating adaptable lesson plans, interns will play a key role in expanding the Lab’s mission and ensuring sustainable access to arts technology for all Fulton County residents.
Project Description: The Public Art Futures Lab’s proposed project aims to create an accessible, comprehensive curriculum that introduces Fulton County residents arts and technology through consumer grade VR Headsets. This curriculum will take what the Public Art Futures Lab has been doing to make these often inaccessible tools and creative practices available to people of all ages and backgrounds by focusing on public art as a shared form of expression. With step-by-step guides, workshops, and instructional modules in Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), digital art, coding, and interactive installations, residents can engage with digital creativity and technology through the inclusive lens of public art.
This project addresses the challenges of accessibility and distribution across Fulton County’s diverse communities, which span rural, suburban, and urban areas. Public libraries and community centers will serve as central hubs, supported by this curriculum to help expand access to arts and technology, and the Public Art Futures Lab will also provide resources and best practices to these locations. Currently, the Futures Lab’s single arts education coordinator transports VR headsets across locations, but the project will allow the lab to decentralize and scale the reach of arts and tech programming in the county. As libraries across the county are acquiring their own VR headsets in the coming year, this project leverages those resources to maximize impact.
The project is enhanced with data-driven insights: throughout the program, surveys will be incorporated, enabling participants to share their learning experiences, outcomes, and recommendations. This data will be used to refine and expand the curriculum continually. Furthermore, the curriculum will encourage local libraries and centers to gather non-personal data on program engagement, demographic reach, and the most popular tools and modules, which can guide ongoing development and ensure the curriculum meets community needs effectively. Through these practices, the curriculum not only serves residents but also adapts and scales, enabling Fulton County’s unique approach to arts and technology education to serve as a model for other regions seeking to bridge technology and public art.
This curriculum represents a long-term, sustainable solution by empowering educators, artists, and residents with tools to carry forward the Lab’s mission of community access to arts and technology. It also offers an open source, experience-based structure that can be shared with other regions interested in expanding digital and artistic engagement within public spaces, moving beyond a traditional arts curriculum to foster true community connection, creativity, and exploration.
Intern Contribution: The two interns will be establishing a scalable curriculum for the Public Art Futures Lab, combining research, documentation, community engagement, and technological exploration to enhance and expand our arts and technology programming. Interns will have the flexibility to pursue tasks aligned with their interests within the broader project, fostering a collaborative and customized learning experience. Their key contributions will fall into the following areas:
- Documentation of Existing Technology and Apps: Interns will begin by compiling information on the VR/AR apps, design software, and modeling tools currently in use at the Public Art Futures Lab. This documentation will outline the functions, target audiences, and technical requirements of each tool, providing a foundation for curriculum content and guidance materials for instructors.
- Research and Development of Free and Affordable Software: As part of a “research arm,” interns will investigate additional free or affordable VR/AR software, design programs, and educational applications that can be incorporated into our offerings. By identifying accessible digital tools, interns will play a vital role in expanding the curriculum to respond to a wider array of skills and creative interests, ensuring the curriculum remains inclusive and financially accessible.
- Hands-On Workshop Assistance and Community Engagement: At the beginning of their project, Interns will accompany our coordinator on-site to libraries, senior centers, and community centers, observing and assisting with Public Art Futures Lab workshops. They will learn about community interaction with technology, document participant engagement, and gather insights on effective educational approaches, which will shape curriculum development. Interns may also collect survey data via Ipads or follow up with partners via email post-workshop to gather feedback from participants, ensuring that the curriculum is continuously improved based on real community input.
- Technology Exploration and Creative Ideation: Interns will have dedicated time to explore and experiment with the technology used in workshops, such as VR and AR headsets, and report back on any novel applications or creative ideas they discover. By testing the tools, they can brainstorm new workshop concepts, adding fresh, experiential insights that encourage the broader team to consider innovative approaches to arts and technology integration.
- Curriculum Drafting and Prototyping: Building on their research and experiential learning, interns will collaborate on drafting curriculum modules that outline key concepts, activities, and learning objectives for various age groups. These curriculum guides will integrate the findings from their research and on-the-ground observations, creating a versatile and ready-to-use framework that can be implemented by Public Art Futures Lab staff, community partners, or anyone with access to a VR headset.
By contributing in these focused areas, interns will enhance the Futures Lab’s programming and establish a curriculum that will support future arts education efforts across Fulton County.
Collaboration with other organizations for this Project? Yes
Relationship(s): Fulton County Public Libraries
Qualifications & Work Expectations
Qualifications: For this internship, we are seeking candidates with an educational background, ideally in fields such as arts education, public art, digital arts, technology in the arts, or a related discipline. Some experience with curriculum development, community engagement, or teaching is highly desirable. Familiarity with data collection and analysis is beneficial, particularly as it relates to understanding community engagement and program effectiveness.
Interns should have a working knowledge or a strong interest in technologies such as VR/AR and digital design tools, as they will be assisting in developing accessible, tech-based art programs. Experience with platforms like Meta Quest, Blender, or similar digital/3D design software would be a bonus, but not required. We are looking for students who are comfortable working collaboratively, eager to explore innovative applications in public art, and capable of self-directed research, particularly in identifying new and free digital tools for use in arts education. Strong communication skills and a genuine interest in community-focused arts engagement are essential for success in this role.
Workdays:
Monday – Tuesday, Virtual Workday, 9am – 5:30pm
Wednesday – Friday, In-Person, 9am – 5:30pm
Intern Expected Travel? No
Deliverables: By the end of the 12-week internship, these key deliverables would support the Public Art Futures Lab’s mission to make arts and technology accessible across Fulton County:
- Comprehensive Data Report: Interns will compile data collected from participant feedback, engagement metrics, and observations at workshops held across libraries, community centers, and other outreach locations. This report will provide insights into what resonates with different community demographics and identify effective strategies for arts technology engagement.
- Curriculum Booklet: With assistance from Futures Lab staff and artists, a polished, user-friendly curriculum booklet that includes best practices, simplified instructions, exercises, and lesson plans for introducing VR, AR, and digital arts. The booklet will be designed to guide community leaders, librarians, and educators, allowing them to independently teach and share technology with their communities. It will also provide foundational knowledge on the Lab’s equipment, offering clear, accessible steps for operating VR headsets and other digital tools.
- Instructional Video Series or Digital Guides: Short, easy-to-follow instructional videos or digital guides on basic tech skills, such as navigating VR interfaces or setting up AR experiences. These resources will complement the curriculum booklet and enhance accessibility for those less familiar with the technology.
Together, these deliverables will create a sustainable and scalable model for arts technology education that can be widely shared and implemented, empowering community members to independently explore and lead in arts technology education.
Learning Objectives:
- Gain Hands-On Experience in Arts and Technology Education: Interns will learn how to design and implement interactive arts and technology workshops for a range of audiences, including youth, seniors, and community members with varied experience levels in digital technology.
- Develop Skills in Digital Art and VR/AR Technology: Through hands-on use of VR/AR tools and digital design software, interns will deepen their understanding of emerging digital media as it applies to public art, enhancing both technical skills and creative application in real-world settings.
- Data Collection and Analysis for Community Engagement: Interns will gain experience in gathering, analyzing, and interpreting community feedback and engagement data, learning to assess program impact and guide future improvements based on quantitative and qualitative insights.
- Collaborate within a Government-Supported Arts Environment: By working within Fulton County’s Arts and Culture Department and the Public Art Futures Lab, interns will learn about the dynamics of public art administration and the coordination required for impactful, community-oriented programs across multiple venues and demographics.
Intern & Community Impact & Benefit
Interns working with the Public Art Futures Lab will gain valuable, hands-on experience at the intersection of public art, technology, and community engagement within a groundbreaking, government-supported initiative. As the first public art and technology lab of its kind, the Lab offers a unique setting where interns can directly witness and participate in innovative art programming that bridges digital creativity and community access. They will gain a rare perspective on how government-backed initiatives can support technological arts and civic engagement, equipping them with knowledge and skills applicable to public, nonprofit, and tech-forward arts sectors. Interns will also get a behind-the-scenes view of Fulton County’s Arts and Culture Department, working closely within the Public Art division to see how different division functions, from artist residencies to educational workshops, connect to create impactful, accessible art experiences for a broad audience. By supporting the Futures Lab’s equipment sharing, educational outreach, and artist collaboration efforts, interns will deepen their understanding of community-centered arts programming. A byproduct of this engagement will be opportunities to network with resident artists and art administrators who are leaders in their fields. The “choose your own adventure” structure of the project allows them to tailor their roles based on individual strengths and interests, ensuring a meaningful, impactful experience for both interns and the communities they serve.
Intern Benefits: Ongoing free equipment loans from Public Art Futures Lab, opportunity to host exhibition or showcase of work at Public Art Futures Lab
The Public Art Futures Lab and Fulton County community would benefit tremendously from having interns who can standardize and amplify our arts and technology programming. Interns will bring fresh perspectives, research support, and technical skills that enhance our existing Arts + Tech outreach program. Their contributions to content development, community engagement, and resource organization will not only enrich our programs but also streamline our operations, making it easier to replicate successful initiatives across the county and beyond.
By assisting with on-site workshops and conducting research into emerging tech applications, interns will help us explore and integrate new tools, thereby expanding the Public Art Futures Lab’s educational offerings. Their efforts in gathering participant feedback, developing instructional resources, and organizing digital tools will be essential for creating a sustainable model that our community partners can continue to use long after the internship concludes. In essence, interns will play a key role in enhancing our ability to deliver accessible, innovative, and impactful arts programming across Fulton County, building a legacy of community-driven, tech-focused public art engagement.
Organization willing to help interns find safe affordable housing? No
*PIN does not fund intern housing
Final Thoughts
The Public Art Futures Lab offers a unique environment for this internship program, combining government support, innovative technology, and community-centered arts engagement. As the first government-backed public art and technology incubator of its kind, the Futures Lab is actively developing programs that connect Fulton County residents with immersive art and digital skills – an experience that’s typically exclusive to higher education institutions and often financially inaccessible. This project also directly aligns with PIN program’s goals by bridging equity gaps in access to technology, creating pathways for creative civic engagement, and driving social impact through the arts.