Summer 2023 Philanthropy Intern
Lily Moreschi (she/her) is the 2023 Philanthropy Intern. Lily hails from Virginia and is currently pursuing a double Bachelors of Arts in Dance and Quantitative Economics at St. Olaf College in Minnesota at the time of her internship. Lily comes to the Pillow with a fundraising background in education, nonprofits, and the fine arts. Outside of the office, she is an active artist and creator, where her work often investigates the relationship between human nature and technology.
Waking up on Wednesdays at the Pillow is an idyllic experience. I can hear the birds chirping outside my cabin window. My fan lightly blows cool air throughout my room. Someone inevitably got up early to do laundry, and I can hear the washing machine singing its end-of-cycle song. Despite knowing there is a very long day ahead, waking up at the Pillow feels like the start of a blissful dream.
The first stop of the day is Morning Class. Wednesdays are my favorite Morning Class session: modern/contemporary. This class is always filled with staff, interns, local residents, and even people on vacation in the Berkshires. It’s heartening to see people of all walks of life and of all ability levels come together for an early hour to dance and revel in the space we have to move.
The next stop of my day is breakfast. Meals at the Pillow are not just a place to eat, but also a place to socialize with other staff members, resident artists, and dancers of The School. My Wednesday morning breakfast often serves as a time to check in with an intern at The School at Jacob’s Pillow on a project we are working on inter-departmentally.
The rest of the morning is reserved for time in the office. My desk sits between two windows; on the left side, I can see the bench across the road, which often serves as a quiet place for staff or artists to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the day. On the right side, I can see the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage. Each day, the stage fills up with Production staff and artists, squeezing in the last minute touches and rehearsal notes before patrons arrive. My work duties often change from day to day. Sometimes I am clacking away at the keyboard, writing a letter for membership appeals or following up with a donor. Some days I am researching foundations and other types of philanthropic prospects. One of my favorite projects is working with the Archives on IDing patrons and other individuals who attend special events such as the Season Opening Gala, Pillow Pride, and member events. On rare occasions I can be caught not in the office, but zipping around campus on a golf cart!
With lunch comes a side of learning in a very poignantly named session called a Lunch & Learn. These informal, lunchtime chats are guided by experienced staff members to give other staff members an opportunity to learn about a specific topic. This summer, Lunch & Learn topics have ranged from moving to New York City to freelancing to negotiating fair pay.
After returning to the office to wrap my work from the morning, it is finally time for the shows to begin. I can hear the crackle of my walkie talkie earpiece as I set up the Member Table at the Henry J. Leir Stage, greeting patrons and answering questions about the Pillow. When it’s finally time for the show to begin, I pack up my table and sit in the back of the house, eating dinner and watching the dancers perform on stage.
After dinner and a show, I take the Member Table set up to just outside the Ted Shawn Theater. While standing there, I listen to the final soundchecks happening indoors and the excited chatter of the patrons outdoors, eager to be seated for the upcoming show.
At last, the wait is over, and the bell outside of the Ted Shawn Theater rings, signaling to audience members that the show will begin soon. But to me, it is a sign that my work day is coming to a close. As the lights go down on the house of the theater, I pack up the member table and the rest of the day’s work. But before going home, there is one last stop to make.
The music echoing from the Ted Shawn Theater narrates my walk back to Sommers Studio, where I end my day just as I started it: dancing. As I dance on my own, the students of The School at Jacob’s Pillow dance in the adjacent Perles Family Studio and the dancers of this week’s resident company dance on the Ted Shawn Theater. The wildlife and wind dance through the trees, rocks, and pathways as the sun begins to set. So many people are still, seated, and silent, but the Jacob’s Pillow campus is vibrant and alive with movement.
And all of a sudden, the day is over. I return back to the cabins where the interns live, each intern trickling in as their duties for the night finish. The day was long, and we are tired, but there is so much magic and movement in this certain place that none of us can wait for the next day, just so that we may do it all over again.
This Pillow Pick was written by Lily Moreschi and published on August 3, 2023.