The Creative Employment Initiative

MONTSERRAT COLLEGE OF ART ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF ITS CREATIVE EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE

Beginning with the 2026 incoming class, students will be guaranteed paid, career-focused jobs while in school.

Montserrat College of Art announced the launch of its Creative Employment Initiative, guaranteeing every student paid, career-focused work while pursuing their education. A key part of the college’s expanding Center for Career Design and Creative Enterprise, this bold initiative will give students real-world experience, expand their professional networks, reduce financial barriers and cultivate the entrepreneurial skills needed for success after graduation. 

A first in the nation, this program puts Montserrat College of Art at the cutting edge of creative professional development, seamlessly integrating client-facing work directly into the academic experience, setting a new standard for experiential learning in arts education. 

“This is a very exciting time at the college,” said college President Brian Pellinen. Career readiness has been a cornerstone of Montserrat’s mission since its founding more than 55 years ago. Recent transformative gifts to Montserrat will allow our faculty and staff to dramatically expand programs that equip our students with the skills, experience, and professional networks they need to thrive in the nation’s $900 billion creative economy.” 

The first phase of this new initiative is funded in part by a generous gift of more than $1.6 million from the family of Anne and Steve Dodge through the TKB Foundation, the largest private donation in the college’s history.

“Montserrat has been a cultural anchor of the North Shore, bringing new people and energy to Downtown Beverly, year after year,” said Tom Dodge, TKB Foundation trustee. “Our family is proud to support this exciting initiative, because it demonstrates Montserrat’s nimbleness and ability to innovate, with the future of its students, and our community, in mind.” 

To deepen students’ real-world experience and encourage entrepreneurship, Michael Kerr, Founding Director of Montserrat College of Art’s Creative Enterprises, is partnering with faculty to launch a dynamic slate of on-campus businesses, including design studios, publishing ventures, and community artist spaces. These initiatives will create professional environments, giving students direct access to client-based work within a supportive academic setting. Kerr is also expanding regional partnerships to create high-impact internships in illustration, graphic design, photography, animation, video graphics and special effects, interactive technologies, and related creative industries, bridging the gap between classroom learning and career readiness.

“We want to connect students’ artistic academic development with real work experience,” said Kerr. “We’re expanding our network of strategic corporate partners, forward thinking companies committed to developing a creative workforce. At the same time, we’re launching a series of outward facing student-led creative ventures. By working with real clients, students will learn the operational, financial, and technical side of entrepreneurship, and build the skills and confidence necessary for running a successful business.”