Deadline:
June 30, 2024
Location(s)
United States of America
Washington, D.C.
Overview
The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation’s first collection of American art, is an unparalleled record of the American experience. The collection captures the aspirations, character, and imagination of the American people throughout three centuries. The museum is the home to one of the largest and most inclusive collections of American art in the world. Its artworks reveal key aspects of America’s rich artistic and cultural history from the colonial period to today.
SAAM and the Renwick Gallery offer two internship programs to coincide with the academic calendar.
Details
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is pleased to announce our new Steven and Stephanie Kasok Family Internship for Museum Studies Award. This is a full-time internship with a $20,000 stipend and it is part of the two-semester advanced level program.
Since 1968, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery have provided instruction and inspiration to over one thousand graduate and undergraduate students, as well as others seeking self-enrichment. Former interns have achieved success in professional positions in the art and museum fields, both nationally and internationally.
Two Internship programs are offered that coincide with the academic calendar: The Advanced-Level Program takes place during the fall and spring semesters; the Summer Program is an eight-week program that begins early to mid-June.
There are no fees charged to students for program participation and academic enrollment is not required. Individuals from all academic backgrounds are welcome to apply. Mentoring relationships between interns and staff are promoted and program alumni are encouraged to maintain contact for networking purposes; an alumni reunion is held yearly during the College Art Association conference.
ADVANCED-LEVEL PROGRAM
A two-semester graduate-level program (fall and spring semesters), with participation 20 hours weekly, Monday-Friday.
The Advanced Level Program provides its participants with a comprehensive overview of museum operations by combining hands-on project experience with professional instruction. The program structure is designed specifically to identify, stimulate, and promote the academic and professional goal of each student and to encourage and support their career development. This program is excellent for graduate students, as a supplement to their academic programs or for others interested in developing a career focus prior to attending graduate school.
Along with selected projects, an introduction to the museum profession is presented by the Smithsonian American Art Museum staff and other field professionals. Students attend over twenty-six workshops and seminars in art history, conservation, registration, administration, budget procedures, development efforts, resume design and writing, career development, and other topics. An extensive bibliography is available to supplement practical experience and workshop presentations. Participants are required to maintain a detailed journal during their final project. Students receive a letter grade and evaluation from their project supervisors after their tenure in each assigned area is completed. Program participants submit a confidential evaluation of their internship experience, for each museum assignment area, to the Intern Program Officer.
With the exception of the full-time, two-semester Steven and Stephanie Kasok Family Internship for Museum Studies internship position, all other selected students complete the program on a part-time schedule, participating twenty hours weekly for both the fall and spring semesters. Intern assignments in the fall semester are made by the intern Program Officer based on the student's interests and career goals. The spring semester assignment is selected by the intern, in conjunction with the Intern Program Officer.
SUMMER PROGRAM
Primarily undergraduates, eight weeks, beginning early to mid-June, ending late July or early August. Participation is 40 hours weekly, Monday - Friday.
The Summer Program is an introduction to museum work, designed for students who have little or no previous museum experience. Instead of moving through different museum areas, interns in the Summer Program concentrate on one assigned department or office, compatible with his or her interests or career goals.
INTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS
All internship placements for both the Advanced-Level and the Summer Programs internships are made by the Intern Program Officer, based on project availability and the individual’s qualifications and interests. Interns do not create nor bring with them projects on topics unrelated to the museum's schedule.
Internships in the Conservation Department are only available to students currently enrolled in a graduate-level art conservation program. Some volunteer positions are sometimes available for college graduates who have had chemistry and previous treatment experience with a qualified conservator. See also Post-Graduate Fellowships in Conservation of Museum Collections.
Applicants may suggest assignment in one or more of the following museum areas:
- Curatorial Office (includes the Lunder Conservation Center)
- Development Office
- Office of Educational Programs
- Exhibitions Office
- External Affairs Office (includes Public Programs and Special Events)
- Media and Technology Office (includes the Luce Foundation Center)
- Publications Office
- Registrar’s Office
- The Renwick Gallery (part of the Curatorial Office)
- Research and Scholars Center
- The Smithsonian American Museum and National Portrait Gallery Library
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
Qualifications for the Advanced-Level Program
Students should have some previous experience in an art- or history-related organization. Applicants may be graduate students, exceptional college seniors, individuals with a four-year college degree (enrollment in an academic program is not required) or international students. Pre-doctoral candidates, who have had little previous museum experience, will also be considered on an individual basis.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE SUMMER PROGRAM
Students with a four-year college degree and undergraduate college seniors and juniors (students completing their sophomore year at the time of application) may apply. Graduate students will be considered for this program on an individual basis. Please note that an overview of all museum departments is not possible during the short duration of the Summer Program.
Programs Available to International Students
International students with current visas, who are living in the U.S. at the time of application, are welcome to apply to either the Summer Program or the Advanced-Level program.
For International students living outside the U.S., insufficient time is available for visa arrangements prior to the beginning of the Summer Program. In addition, the Advanced-Level program is considered the most advantageous for International students because it provides more time for both training and cultural enrichment opportunities.
Dates
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Cost/funding for participants
Stipend Awards for the Advanced Level Program
Stipend: $1,250 - $20,000 *
All internship positions carry stipends. Stipend awards are meant as a supplement to the student’s total living expenses.
* The Steven and Stephanie Kasok Museum Studies Award provides a $20,000 stipend to one highly qualified individual who wishes to participate in a full-time internship for two-semesters. Applicants interested in this full-time award should submit a statement of financial need along with the other required application documents.
Students selected for part-time internships will automatically be considered for funding from endowments established by very generous donors to the Advanced Museum’s internship program: Harry and Beverly Mandil, Jack and Marjorie Rachlin, and Allan J. and Reda Radwan Riley. (Award amounts may vary yearly; no additional paperwork is required for consideration.)
Students from all universities and colleges are eligible to earn academic credit from their home institution, in contractual arrangement with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
