For the second year, the Middlebury College Museum of Art is pleased to host a remote summer internship program for students interested in learning more about careers in the visual art world. MuseumWorks is intended to benefit students beginning to explore this dynamic field, as well as those already dedicated to working in the visual arts.
Professional development sessions and discussions of readings will help interns explore a variety of jobs in museums and related arts organizations. Special attention will be paid to equity, ethics, and accessibility in the field.
Interns will develop transferable skills while working on projects that advance the museum’s mission. Completed in small teams under the direction of supervisors, this work will also promote time management, professional communication, and teamwork.
MuseumWorks 2021 comprises 6 part-time workweeks, allowing interns to pursue other part-time employment, educational experiences, etc. All work will be done online in a variety of synchronous professional development sessions and asynchronous project work.
Program Details
- Program Dates: June 21–July 30, 2021
- Time Commitment: 96 hours total across 6 weeks. 16 hours/week x 6 weeks: 36 synchronous hours, 60 asynchronous hours
- Stipend: $1,500 (USD, taxable)
- Application Deadline: Sunday, March 21, 11:59 PM ET
Select candidates may be interviewed. All applicants will be notified of final decisions by the end of April 2021.
Synchronous professional development sessions will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 AM–12 PM EDT. In addition, interns will be required to complete 2 hours of asynchronous project work, Mondays–Fridays. Interns are expected to attend all synchronous sessions (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays from 10 AM–12 PM EDT) but may choose to pursue additional part time work, educational experiences, etc.
Internship Components
Professional development sessions, including:
- Career conversations with professionals working across the visual art world
- Skill building workshops
- Career counseling
Work on a team project. Specific projects will be announced later, but may include the following:
- Digital media
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives
- Curatorial projects
- Developing educational resources
- Discussion of readings on museum history, ethics, equity, and accessibility
- Intern presentations on museums
Eligibility Requirements
- Any current Middlebury College student wishing to learn more about careers in the art world is invited to apply, regardless of major.
- We regret that students from other colleges, Middlebury alumni, and February or May 2021 graduates are not eligible for MuseumWorks.
- Interns are expected to attend all synchronous sessions (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays from 10 AM–12 PM EDT) but may choose to pursue additional part time work or education.
- Reliable Internet access will be important to full participation. (MuseumWorks administrators will do their best to record some of the professional development sessions, but not every presenter may consent.) Please contact the College’s IT department about the availability of loan computers.
- Academic credit is not granted for participation in MuseumWorks.
Feedback from Last Year’s Virtual MuseumWorks Participants:
“I really appreciate how the program persisted into a virtual format, while other internships were cancelled. It provided me access to the wonderful people behind museums all while at home, and the possibility for future networking.”
“My experience in MuseumWorks will definitely influence my career path after college as I enter the museum field with a focus on equity, inclusion, and diversity.”
“The highlights to me were the discussions with other interns and the readings. The discussions let me hear about other interns’ perspectives, which were thoughtful and well informed.”
“I enjoyed the career conversations because they opened up my mind to parts of the museum world that I hadn’t been cognizant of before doing the internship.”
“Talking with recent graduates let me better understand my next career steps after graduating from Middlebury.”
“The design workshop allowed me to apply the architectural design skills I learned in class to a fulfilling museum context. It opened another career avenue that combined my love for design as well as art and art history.”
“Working with my cohort group not only helped me develop teamwork skills and collaboration but more importantly introduced me to museum accessibility.”
“MuseumWorks was an invaluable learning experience. I was able to explore arts and museum related issues in a way I had never considered before.”
“I really loved that it felt like MuseumWorks program leaders and supervisors were invested in the improvement of all of the interns, and the program was set up to benefit us.”
Click here to learn more and to apply to this great opportunity in handshake!