Meet the Intern: Yuchen Shi

Hamilton, Ohio – A new school year often means a new intern at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts.

Meet Yuchen Shi. He plans to graduate from Miami University Regionals in December with a degree in Community Arts and a minor in Communication Design. Yuchen spends part of his last semester at Miami gaining credit hours for his practical experience at a community arts center.

“I’ve been here before,” he said. “This place is pretty interesting. I’ve seen some really good art here and wanted to learn more about how it runs.”

In fact, Yuchen was an exhibiting artist at the Fitton Center. Some of his work was on view in the Community Gallery this past spring during the Miami University Regionals Students Today Artists Tomorrow exhibition. He draws, paints and does printmaking. He is teaching himself metalsmithing.

While Yuchen makes himself familiar at the Fitton Center, he is a long way from home.

The Beijing, China, native came to the United States on his own in the fall of 2015 as a high school student. He lived with a host family his first year before moving on campus at his Connecticut boarding school.

“Everyone in my life was strangers for the first couple of years I was here,” he said. “It’s better now, but it was pretty hard at first.”

What brought him to the States? The opportunity for a different kind of education.

“We study for tests in China,” he said. “I wanted to learn more than the tests. I wanted skills and other aspects of the subject matter.”

His parents – both now retired - supported his pursuit of a career in the arts despite no particular artistic background of their own. His father was in the import-export business while his mother worked in telecommunications.

Yuchen’s primary work at the Fitton Center will be alongside Director of Exhibitions Cathy Mayhugh, assisting with gallery work like receiving and cataloging art for new exhibitions, preparing gallery spaces to the hang art and helping with its installation. He’ll also work with the marketing, education and outreach teams, as well as perform general staff work like greeting guests and ushering in the theater.

Away from school and art, Yuchen enjoys motorcycles – he has a Yamaha he likes to ride – and spending time with his girlfriend, a music teacher in China.

Yuchen will be part of the Fitton Center team through early December.

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

Building Community Excellence through the Arts and Culture