Internships

The Gadsden Arts Center & Museum Internship Program provides museum learning experiences for college students, recent graduates, and professionals looking to learn about museum careers. Interns at Gadsden Arts have the unique opportunity to learn from the staff at a small, rural, community-owned museum that is also accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, a national organization that puts forth best practices and standards in the museum field.

Interns work with one of our professional staff members but are able to gain a breadth of experience across different museum departments. Professional staff members who supervise interns and their focus areas are:

Grace Robinson, Executive Director
museum management and organizational development, including: strategic planning, program and exhibition development, policy making, staff and volunteer development, marketing, fundraising (major gifts, annual appeals, sponsorships, grants, foundations, donor cultivation and retention), nonprofit financial management, facility management

Angie Barry, Curator of Exhibitions & Collections
exhibition research, exhibition design and installation, collections research and care, collections donor relations, collection loan management, research and writing, working with contemporary artists, museum shop management

Sarah Black-Sadler, Museum Education
exhibition interpretation, programs for children and families, programs for schools, programs for adults and seniors, art-making activities, public programs, digital engagement, community outreach

Some of the museum-specific skills that our interns can learn:

Exhibition research and planning
Exhibition installation and art handling
Exhibition interpretation for various audiences
Educational programs (both in the galleries and in makerspaces)
Writing for public relations and marketing
Working with working artists, collectors, and museums
AAM standards and best practices

Some transferrable skills that our interns can learn, which are useful in most work environments, but especially nonprofits:

Attention to detail
Flexibility
Building relationships
Oral communication
Working with a team
Research and planning
Writing for or communicating with different audiences
Editing
Nonprofit management skills
Grant writing
Collecting and interpreting data
Technical and design skills

Calendar

Internships at Gadsden Arts are approximately 8-12 hours per week (typically 160 hours per semester, or 3 credit hours)

2022 Deadlines

Now accepting applications for Summer 2022

Job Placement

Our former interns have taken various positions in the arts, museums, cultural institutions, and nonprofits including:

Curatorial Fellow
Director of Marketing
Grant Writer
Director of Development
Associate Curator of Education
Public Programs Coordinator
Art Teacher
Registrar
PhD. Candidate

Application Instructions

Submit your application by emailing the below documents to Executive Director Grace Robinson: grace@gadsdenarts.org. Please be prepared to answer questions about your internship and to submit the following:

1. Resume or CV

Please include your academic experience, work experience, and any software you are familiar with and your level of familiarity.

2. Cover Letter, 1 page max

Please include your experience with museums thus far, why you are interested in interning with Gadsden Arts, what skills that you have developed from your studies/work experience that you will bring to the Gadsden Arts team, your museum career goals, and your view of the role of museums in a community.

3. At least 1 reference with contact information

Recommendation letters are encouraged but not required.

4. Writing Sample

Please include an academic writing sample if you have it. Blog posts, articles, or other published writing will also be accepted.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for an internship without regard to race, color, sex or gender, age, national origin, religion, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, sexual identity and/or expression, marital status, citizenship, or any other protected status.

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