Date:
The MFA is delighted to offer this undergraduate internship supported by the IDEAL Internship Initiative of the Decorative Arts Trust. The IDEAL Internship focuses on inclusivity, diversity, equity, access, and leadership. This is a paid internship offered to an outstanding student who is interested in American decorative arts and design and committed to diversifying the museum field’s curatorial ranks.
Internship Description
The Art of the Americas Department, spanning the Ancient Americas times through the 20th century, is responsible for exhibitions, installations, programs, and a range of initiatives focused on one of the MFA’s largest and most distinguished permanent collections. Encompassing the art of North, Central, and South America, including paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts, the Art of the Americas’ curatorial staff coordinates installations in the permanent galleries, organizes special exhibitions, researches the collection, and supports a range of loan activities to other institutions.
The department is currently seeking an undergraduate level intern to assist with work on the upcoming reinstallation of the 20th-century galleries of art, decorative arts, and design, with specific responsibilities focused on a gallery that explores the connections between art, modern design, and jazz music in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This is a paid internship co-supervised by the Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture, and the Head of Academic Engagement. It offers an opportunity to gain invaluable hands-on experience within the field of American decorative arts and design while building skills for future professional endeavors in museums and cultural institutions. The Decorative Arts Trust IDEAL Intern will assist with a wide variety of administrative and research duties vital to the upcoming reinstallation (scheduled for February 2022), including object research, label writing, digital content, gallery installation, and programming. The IDEAL Intern will also have the opportunity to actively participate in the MFA’s “Museum Pathways and Practices” course, which provides all MFA interns with a broad overview of museum work.
Essential Functions:
- Assist with planning for reinstallation of 20th-century galleries
- Assist with object research
- Assist with development of interpretive materials, including gallery labels and online digital content
- Participate in gallery reinstallation and accompanying plans for opening, web presence, and programming
- Receive training to give tours in the gallery and lead tours
- Receive formal training in TMS (the Museum System), a valuable tool in collections management
- Learn about the general functions of a curatorial department via participation in departmental zoom meetings
- Assist with other daily departmental and administrative activities
Requirements and Qualifications:
- Enrollment in or recent graduation from a B.A. program in history, art history, museum studies, or a related field
- Basic knowledge of art history or museum studies
- Demonstrated interest in learning about museum activities
- Previous office experience or related work
- Familiarity with computer programs and databases is desirable
- Demonstrated attention to detail and reliability; ability to work independently
- Ability to commit 12 hours per week for 26 weeks during the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022
- Ability to attend orientation during the last week of September.
Pay and Internship Duration:
Interns are paid $16 per hour. The ideal candidates must be able to work 12 hours per week onsite or in a hybrid mode during the fall 2021 and spring 2022 semesters and join in intern professional development sessions.
How to Apply
Please submit in a single document (MS Word or PDF) the following elements:
- Your cover letter;
- Your current résumé/c.v.;
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Your responses to the following four questions (maximum of 250 words per question);
- Recognizing that diversity is multifaceted, how do your unique experiences and perspectives contribute to diversity at the MFA, Boston and in the museum field in general?
- Describe how your academic/research interests align with the Museum’s Art of the Americas collection.
- Highlight specific artists/artworks in the MFA’s Art of the Americas collection that relate to your academic/research interests.
- Describe how the IDEAL Internship will help you further your career goals.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive work environment and strongly encourage and welcome an application pool that reflects our commitment.
