Spend a Day with The Bakery’s Summer Intern
Written by Amani Malickel
Hi! I’m Amani, The Bakery Atlanta’s Summer Intern. Spend a day with me to see what it’s like working at an arts nonprofit!
Coming from a public health background, but always finding myself surrounded by the arts, I was excited to spend my summer somewhere that prioritized creativity and community wellbeing. Public health has taught me that environments shape people, and The Bakery has shown me what happens when artists have an environment to create in.
1:00pm: Settling in for the day
1:30pm: Editing graphics for the month
2:00pm: Grabbing a matcha at The Supermarket pop-up
My mornings begin quietly. After settling in for the day and completing a few quick tasks, I grabbed a guava matcha from The Supermarket’s coffee pop-up before chatting with their summer intern. Drink in hand, I sat down on a blue chair outside of the Sunroom to work on some July programming graphics.
During the day, conversations drift through the rooms while people focus on their projects, and the space invites you to notice a new handmade detail each time you look around. By evening, that quiet transforms into an exciting energy. Artists, musicians, writers, and neighbors fill the space, sharing their work, asking questions, and cheering one another on.
2:30pm: Laminating for the Gaze Gallery Booklet
4:00pm: My TikTok pitch at our weekly meeting
5:00pm: Cutting up flyers for July programming
The rest of my afternoon was spent hanging up flyers, designing graphics, laminating QR codes, and putting the finishing touches on my TikTok strategy presentation for our weekly meeting. Working on this pitch was a new experience for me—researching the best practices for writing captions, thinking through audience engagement, and brainstorming goals—and I gained a deeper appreciation for the intentionality behind each marketing decision.
Throughout the process, Asli, our Programs & Marketing Manager, encouraged my ideas, shared examples, and patiently answered all of my questions. Now comes the fun part: actually making the content.
Stay tuned by following @thebakeryatlanta on TikTok!
6:00pm: Setting up for Collage Night
6:30pm: Prepping the space for our events
7:00pm: Checking in guests for Bakery Night
As the afternoon turned into evening, it was time to set up for Bakery Takeover Night. This evening we had a fantastic turnout… which also meant we quickly ran out of chairs, so I spent much of my time carrying chairs in and out of rooms and digging through storage for extras. This resourcefulness has become one of the things I admire most about The Bakery’s team; everyone jumps in where needed and makes the most of what already exists.
Whenever I had a free moment, I would wander into the all of the Takeover events to see the art everyone was creating— someone would be making collages in the Sunroom, someone sketching in the Blue Venue, and another giving a spoken-word performance in the Black Box.
7:30pm: Peeking into the Lavender Lens showing
8:00pm: Filming content for our socials
8:30pm: Advanced Figure Drawing in full swing
Looking back on my summer, I don't think it's the individual tasks I'll remember most. I'll remember the feeling of walking into a building where curiosity is welcomed, experimentation is encouraged, and everyone seems genuinely invested in helping one another succeed. Working on social media, exhibition materials, and programming gave me a glimpse into how carefully this atmosphere is cultivated—through hundreds of thoughtful decisions about how events are described, how artists are welcomed, and how spaces are arranged.
9:00pm: Post-Takeover animal card reading
9:30pm: Enjoying some team bonding
10:00pm: Cleaning up after a long day
I'm incredibly grateful to have spent my summer here, learning from a team passionate about sharing art and big ideas with everyone in their community. Thanks for spending the day with me!
