The application deadline for all paid internships for college and graduate students at the Main Building is January 10, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. (EST). Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.
Please carefully review the following descriptions of graduate internship departmental placements and projects before applying. On the online application (link provided at the bottom of this page), you will be asked to indicate up to two departments in which you would like to be placed.
Note: If you are also applying for a long-term internship, you will be required to answer an additional essay question in the application.
Apply Online
Curatorial and Conservation Departments
The American Wing, American Decorative Arts (Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection)
The intern will work with a curator and a research associate to research one or more potteries represented in the Ellison collection (dating from 1876 to 1956) and create detailed chronologies in preparation for a publication. Experience conducting art historical research and facility with a variety of online research sources required; background in art history and American art or history preferred.
Ancient Near Eastern Art
The intern will work with curatorial staff on projects associated with an upcoming exhibition on the first millennium B.C. Responsibilities include supporting curators with the production of an exhibition catalogue. Proofreading experience as well as experience working with database systems and Microsoft Excel required; French and German language skills and Photoshop skills preferred.
Arms and Armor (Conservation)
The intern will work closely with a conservator and armorer on a wide variety of weapons, armor, and related three-dimensional objects to prepare for a special exhibition. Responsibilities may include examination, treatment, and mount making. Additional duties may include examining objects for curatorial projects, including publications and exhibitions; preparation and/or treatment of objects for installation or loan; and upgrading storage mounts. Enrollment in a recognized graduate conservation program and completion of at least one year of study (or equivalent knowledge or experience) required; specific interest in arms and armor preferred.
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (African Art)
The intern will work with a curator on the early development stages of a new exhibition project. Responsibilities may include bibliography research, defining a corpus of works, and assembling research material for docents. Interest in African art, attention to detail, and good organizational skills required; French, German, or Portuguese language skills preferred.
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (African Sculpture)
The intern will work closely with curatorial staff and assist with projects related to two upcoming special exhibitions of African art. Exhibitions will focus on the Kingdom of Kongo in Central Africa, classical African sculpture, and works created in response to twentieth-century Western sculptures. Candidates must have a background in Modern and African art history, excellent research skills, and experience working with database systems. French and German language skills preferred.
Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas (Collections Management)
The intern will work directly with the collections manager and become familiar with a curatorial department's collections management process. Responsibilities will include creating digital files of departmental acquisition paperwork, rehousing collections, and working on collection surveys. The intern will learn about documentation management and project planning. Attention to detail and good organizational skills are required.
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (Conservation)
The intern will assist the departmental conservator in the examination, documentation, and preparation of works related to upcoming exhibitions, installations, and/or outgoing loans. A conservation student with an interest in non-Western fiber- and fabric-based objects is preferred. Some treatment experience is possible, but is dependent upon the training and experience of the intern.
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (Oceanic Art)
The intern will work with a curator to assist in the development of an exhibition on the arts of New Guinea and/or other forthcoming Oceanic Art exhibitions. Responsibilities may include: background research and object documentation using library materials and online resources; gathering, creating, and working with digital images of objects and contextual photographs; and assisting in the compilation of checklists and other exhibition-related tasks as required. Experience working with computer databases, digital images, and optical scanners required; German, French, and/or Dutch language skills preferred.
Asian Art (South and Southeast Asian Art)
The intern will work with a curator as part of the team developing an international loan exhibition, Lost Kingdoms: Early Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Southeast Asia, 5th–9th Centuries, opening in 2014. This will be the first exhibition to examine early Southeast Asian art through national treasures lent from eight Southeast Asian countries, Europe, and the United States. Candidates must be graduate students in art history with a proven interest in Asian art. Proficiency in graphic design is required as well as experience editing bibliographies and managing images and files; French language skills preferred.
The Costume Institute (Collections Management)
The intern will gain hands-on collections management skills and will work with collections staff on a variety of projects including: executing shoe inserts and mounts, vacuuming objects, covering hangers, and other sewing projects as needed. Other responsibilities may include participation in the object assessment process, data entry, and preparation of objects for the new storage facility. Sewing and hand skills and object handling experience required; museum background preferred.
The Costume Institute (Curatorial)
The intern will be responsible for training, with curatorial staff and docents, to be a primary tour guide for The Costume Institute's spring 2013 exhibition, Punk: Chaos to Couture. The intern will also assist in conducting research and responding to research inquiries. Students of costume history, fashion design, or art history are welcome to apply; collections management system (TMS) experience preferred.
Egyptian Art
The intern will work on several projects, with a primary focus on the creation of shelf lists for the department’s galleries. The intern will learn about the Museum’s Egyptian collection by helping curators review and refine collections management system (TMS) records, building and streamlining the department’s image database, and participating in gallery inventories. Other projects include helping to clean up the bibliography module and working with excavation archives. Experience with databases and Adobe Creative Suite preferred.
European Paintings
The intern will assist a curator with projects associated with upcoming catalogues of early German paintings. Responsibilities include integrating curatorial files into the department’s archives. The intern will work closely with the curator and learn about the Museum’s collection of German paintings. Applicants must have a command of German at the intermediate level.
Medieval Art
The intern will work with curatorial staff on a forthcoming exhibition of art created in medieval Germany. Responsibilities include helping to write gallery labels and gallery texts as well as coordinating object installation in preparation for the exhibition in collaboration with curatorial, exhibition design, website, and other Museum staff. Candidates must have German reading skills at the intermediate level and excellent writing skills. Demonstrated coursework in medieval art preferred.
Photographs (Archives)
The intern will work directly with the collections management associate to arrange and describe the department’s archival materials, including object, exhibition, and research files. The intern will help build a database for the department's files, create finding aids, and develop an organizational plan for the department's holdings. Additionally, the intern will have the opportunity to work on library and collections management projects as needed. Candidates must be current students or recent graduates of a master's program specializing in library/information science, art history, or archival management. Specific interest in photography is preferred.
Photographs (Collections Management)
The intern will work directly with the collections manager on a variety of tasks pertaining to collections care, including but not limited to: collections management system (TMS) cataloguing and database clean-up; data entry of exhibition histories, bibliography, and provenance; collection inventory; collection book and album rehousing; scanning archival materials; and creating object files for accessioned artworks. Candidates must be current students or recent graduates of a master’s program specializing in museum studies, collections management, or art history. Specific interest in photography is preferred.
Photographs Conservation
The intern will work with staff conservators on a variety of projects including: rehousing photographs into specialized housings; surveying of collections; examination, documentation and treatment of cased images; assisting with examination of incoming and outgoing loans; taking light level readings in galleries; downloading and analyzing environmental conditions; color monitoring using a spectrophotometer; historical and technical research related to collections; and modest and focused scientific experiments. Candidates must have a declared specialization in the conservation of photographs and strong English language skills..
The Robert Lehman Collection
The intern will work with curatorial staff to conduct research on the Lehman Collection's fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Italian paintings, as well as enter research information into the collections database. Responsibilities include library research and compiling updated bibliographies. Background in early Italian art, reading knowledge of Italian, and collections management system (TMS) experience preferred.
Other Museum Departments
Archives
The intern's primary responsibility will be to support archival processing of the textual and photographic records of Robert Lehman and the Lehman family related to their art collection. In addition, the intern will attend regular Archives staff meetings and perform other duties, such as reference assistance and historical research, as assigned.
Education (Gallery and Studio Programs)
The intern will work with the managing Museum educator for Gallery and Studio Programs and the assistant/associate Museum educator in charge of gallery-based adult programs to help research, plan, promote, and evaluate gallery-based programs for adults, and to create new studio programs that involve guest artists and other experts as speakers or workshop facilitators. The intern must exhibit confidence and maturity when engaging with Museum staff, guest experts, and the public. Knowledge of and interest in art, art history, and museum education; basic knowledge of survey development; and strong social media and writing skills required. Studio background and/or strong understanding of how artists work preferred.
Education (Studio Programs)
The intern will work with the educators for studio and teen programs to develop evaluation tools and research aimed at capturing the significance of art-making programs to our participants. Specifically, the intern will focus on the Museum’s drop-in education programs such as Sunday Studio, Drop-in Drawing, and select Family and Teen Programs. Candidates must have a knowledge of basic assessment, observation, and evaluation methods. Previous or current enrollment in museum or art education classes preferred.
Registrar
The intern will work with registrars to implement policies and procedures relating to acquisitions, loans, exhibitions, deaccessions, storage, packing and shipping, security of artwork in transit, fine art insurance administration, and risk management. Projects will include assisting exhibitions registrars with all related documents for exhibitions opening and closing during the internship period; providing assistance in the galleries; data entry; preparing condition report binders; and archiving files. The intern will assist outgoing loans registrars to track shipping records on long-term loans and enter data into the outgoing loans database. He or she will also assist exams registrars with archiving paperwork for loans and accessioned objects. One to two years' registration experience as an intern or volunteer preferred. Experience in cataloguing and collections management systems (TMS) preferred.
Thomas J. Watson Library
The intern will assist with ongoing library technical services projects. Responsibilities include working with the Museum’s integrated library system, interpreting cataloguing records, and working with a collection of slides for a Slide Library project. Other responsibilities include selection and retention of slides, and may include the digitization of various materials. The intern will work closely with Museum librarians and gain a broad range of hands-on library skills.
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