The Art of Giving Back

Arts Launch Intern Teresa Lam and her work with The Muckenthaler Center

By Gamy Cortes

At UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts (UCI Arts), the office of Access & Engagement connects students and local artists in ways that open doors into the professional world, promoting the creative sector of Orange County.

Two programs are at the core of this endeavor. Arts Launch pairs UCI Arts students with Orange County arts organizations, offering paid, year-long internships that build hands-on management skills and career pathways. Creative Connections sends teaching artist interns into K-12 classrooms, where they collaborate with educators to bring art, dance, drama and music to students who may not have had those resources otherwise.

Together, these programs are cultivating the next generation of creative leaders while making the arts more accessible, inclusive and alive.

How Art Communicates Without Words

For Department of Art major and entrepreneurship minor, Teresa Lam ’27, art was the door that opened when social anxiety made speech feel like a wall.

“Art gave me a way to share my perspectives and, in turn, hear from others,” said Lam. “It was a different way of communicating and connecting to others, without words, which I gravitated towards as someone with social anxiety.”

Taking advice from her community college professor that the arts are difficult to make a career out of, and with her own general worry that the arts are financially unstable, Lam declared entrepreneurship as her minor, a sort of map to guide her arts into sustainability. Eventually, culminating in her internship with Arts Launch, she developed, through the intersections of creativity and commerce, a philosophy on how expression belongs to everyone.

Growing up as a first-generation immigrant, Lam had always known what it meant to have limited access to resources and opportunities. So being able to give what she had struggled to gain made her appreciate Arts Launch that much more.

For instance, during her internship at The Muckenthaler Cultural Center, affectionately known as The Muck, Lam stays true to what Harold Muckenthaler envisioned when he donated his parents’ mansion and the surrounding 8.5 acres to the city of Fullerton — to offer the public experiences that stimulate creativity and imagination.

The Muck produces nearly 100 events annually, from outdoor amphitheater concerts and gallery exhibitions to cultural festivals and an ever-expanding education program. It reaches over 40,000 people each year through classes held both on-site and off, including at facilities for victims of domestic violence and shelters for the unhoused.

Within this dynamic, mission-driven environment, Lam has grown as a cultural professional, contributing to an organization that brings art, community and history together; discovering along the way that she genuinely enjoys administrative, curatorial and marketing work. Working closely with the Chief Executive Officer, Farrell Hirsch, and the Chief Operations Officer, Janette Pyun, her day-to-day involved grant writing, event production, donor and    member    
correspondence, maintenance    of office records including databases and any related duties required to uphold the creed of The Muck.

People Along the Path of Service

Lam is generous and specific in naming the people who shaped her year. Near the top of that list is Megan Belmonte, Director of Access & Engagement — and recently named the Tamara Austin Legacy Award recipient at the 2025 UCI Dynamic Womxn Awards for her long-term commitment to equity and mentorship.

Lam recalls how Belmonte won her trust at the very first info session, before the program had even begun. She saw in her not just passion for the arts, but genuine care for students. It’s a quality Belmonte herself names as intentional.

“I do everything with intention,” said Belmonte. “I talk openly about my self-evolution. I push against ‘how things have always been done’ to find how they can best be done. Will I continue to lead with intention, vulnerability, awkwardness, bravery and kindness, to help make it the standard? Absolutely.”

Lam also expresses gratitude towards Kaysie José, Associate Director of Access & Engagement. José became a steady source of encouragement during the moments of early doubt, when Lam was not yet sure which direction to move. A UCI alumna herself, José has built her career around helping arts students recognize their potential and find their footing in a field that doesn’t always offer a clear path forward.

“Whether that’s getting them on our campus for a free show or having them participate in a workshop,” said José, “we take a student’s interest or involvement in the arts and use it as a catalyst to expose them to this environment, to have them recognize that higher education is a viable option and that they do belong in a place like this.”

What’s Next?

Over the summer, Lam will continue interning at The Muck. Through her experiences, she is learning what it means to be a teaching artist, watching how artists engage with students in afterschool programs at The Muck, and understanding how art can be an offering, not just a product.

“This is just the beginning of my journey learning about arts organizations,” said Lam, “and I look forward to learning even more. Arts Launch gave me better communication skills and more confidence in myself as an artist.”

To learn more about The Muckenthaler Cultural Center, visit here.

To learn more about Arts Launch, visit here. To learn more about the Department of Art, visit arts.uci.edu/art.