Jobs

Curatorial Internship for Museum Diversity (Summer 2021)

Posted on: January 8, 2021 Apply Now
Part-Time Internships Expires March 2, 2021

The Asheville Art Museum is excited to offer the following internship opportunity this summer. Priority application deadline March 1; to learn more, please visit https://www.ashevilleart.org/about/careers/intern/

CURATORIAL INTERNSHIP FOR MUSEUM DIVERSITY

This internship broadens opportunities for students who are passionate about a career in the arts and whose backgrounds or experiences are underrepresented in the museum field. This intern will gain valuable professional experience by working alongside the Curatorial team on the Museum’s growing Black Mountain College Collection, which includes 1000+ artworks and ephemeral materials by 100+ artists. Objects include but are not limited to paintings, textiles, furniture, works on paper, and sculptures. Projects include:

  • Assist with the documentation and care of BMC Collection materials, such as condition-reporting, record-keeping, art-handling, and inventory.
  • Assist with a specialized project focused on in-depth research into the 100+ BMC artists represented in the Collection, including expanding information on copyright status, artist contact and representation, and artist biographical information. Work extensively with accession files and the Museum’s collection-management database, EmbARK.
  • Contribute original research towards the Museum’s publicly searchable online database, WebKiosk, with a particular focus on updated artist biographies and materials for the forthcoming Digital Black Mountain College Collection and Interconnective Timeline portion of the Museum’s website.
  • Research and present a gallery talk or other public program relating to BMC Collection.

This opportunity is open to current graduate students and recent graduates of graduate-level programs (within one year of graduation) interested in materials related to BMC and/or artists, ideas, or other areas of research with direct or indirect ties to BMC. Interns should also be interested in developing their skills in research, database management, museum record-keeping, art-handling, condition-reporting, and inventory procedures. Interns should be self-motivated, organized, and detail-oriented with good computer skills and a knack for precision.

To apply, candidates should submit all materials for an internship at the Museum (see above). Recognizing that diversity is multifaceted, applicants should also address in their letter of interest how their unique experiences and perspectives will contribute to diversity at the Asheville Art Museum and the museum field in general.

This 220-hour internship includes a stipend of $2,640 to offset moving, parking, transportation, and/or other expenses associated with the internship.

ABOUT INTERNSHIPS AT THE ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM

As part of its longstanding education program, the Museum’s internship program aims to give interns real-world experience and insight so that their transition from student to professional is supported, informed, and encouraged. This goal is achieved by:

  • Providing current undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates (within one year of graduation) and high-school students, opportunities to collaborate with Museum staff on projects related to the arts, arts education, and arts administration
  • Introducing interns to the broad spectrum of museum work and to Museum staff, departments, programs, and operations

Interns are an integral part of the Museum’s community, helping staff and visitors in many ways. In addition, the Museum seeks to reach underserved populations that have limited access to arts and professional-development opportunities in the arts.

Internships are offered during the summer, spring, and fall semesters, and during the academic year. Internships are available most semesters in each department of the Museum—Communications, Curatorial, Development, Learning & Engagement, and Museum Store & Visitor Services—and occasionally for special projects. Please see our openings at https://www.ashevilleart.org/about/careers/intern/ for specific information about available internships.

The Museum offers both paid and volunteer internships; see individual internship descriptions, as well as descriptions of the UNC Asheville and Rosemary Kennedy Internship Initiatives at https://www.ashevilleart.org/about/careers/intern/. The Museum regularly coordinates with schools, colleges, and universities to ensure academic credit is received by current students.

Apply Now