Summer Internship at the Princeton University Art Museum
Summer 2020 Call for Applications
Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply for one of the following joint seven-week summer internship programs at the Princeton University Art Museum.
- Summer Internship at the Princeton University Art Museum
- Museum Voices Internship at the Princeton University Art Museum
Summer Internship at the Princeton University Art Museum
Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply for a seven-week summer internship program at the Princeton University Art Museum. The 2020 summer internship program will run from Monday, July 6 to Friday, August 21. Undergraduate students majoring in any discipline at any four-year college or university, and graduate students who have completed their first year in an M.A. or Ph.D. program in art history, archaeology, or a related field, are eligible to apply. Princeton University students are given priority.
Interns have the opportunity to work in various departments, which could include: curatorial, education, development, information technology, marketing, office of the registrar, publications, or retail and wholesale operations. Please specify your interest in a specific department. Not all departments take interns each summer. Interns are placed on the basis of their experience, academic training, and departmental need. Collections information research will be part of all the interns’ experience. To learn about past summer internship projects, please watch our summer internship video series “Interns at Work.”
Summer 2020 projects include:
Ancient Art: improving digital access to museum object records and images and devising innovative interpretive strategies for the expanded galleries of ancient art for the new Princeton University Art Museum; undergraduates or graduate students pursuing degrees in Classics or Classical Art and Archaeology preferred.
Art of the Ancient Americas: assisting in cataloguing and accessioning the Gillett G. Griffin bequest; participating in the development of exhibition and related publication focusing on the Museum’s collections of Mesoamerican art; contributing to the conceptualization and planning of ancient Americas displays for the new museum building.
Communication and Information-two positions:
- Image Management and Rights and Reproductions intern: working with Art Information staff to articulate an image retention policy, undertake the organization and deletion of old image resources, and conduct copyright inquiries for works in the Museum’s collections.
- Digital design intern: working closely with the Art Information team to generate designs for new access to the Museum’s collections; experience in UX design and web platforms required.
European Painting and Sculpture: working on a catalogue of French paintings in the collection, adding new bibliography and drafting an entry; graduate student proficient in French strongly preferred.
Design: assisting with upcoming exhibitions in the areas of experiential and graphic design; working on graphic design projects to support the Education and Marketing departments; proficiency in Adobe Indesign and knowledge of typography and layout required.
Education-two positions:
1. PUPP and Museum Education: assisting with PUPP art courses, teaching high school students, gaining hands-on classroom experience, creating museum experiences for students of diverse backgrounds, and serving as a mentor for high school students with interest in the arts. Interns will also work with the Museum’s Education department providing support for visiting summer groups, participating in summer programs, and collaborating on special projects. Interest in teaching and studio art desirable.
2. Visitor Engagement: working closely with the Visitor Logistics Coordinator and the Manager of Outreach to coordinate Museum visits for summer groups; scheduling and facilitating visits; working with the education team to develop activities for families; assisting with visitor surveys, data collection and analysis in an effort to identify ways to improve visitor experiences.
Modern and Contemporary Art: contributing to research and correspondence related to contemporary native North American art with an emphasis on building connections to the Art Museum collections; a strong interest in contemporary indigenous art and scholarly conversations about expanding the art historical canon is required.
Museum Store: assisting with visitor engagement and with product development related to artwork in the museum’s collection.
Program
In addition to departmental responsibilities, interns receive a broad introduction to the Art Museum collections and to the museum field through a four-day orientation program and weekly discussions with Museum staff.
Eligibility
Undergraduate students from any two- or four-year college or university, and graduate students who have completed their first year in a M.A. or Ph.D. program in art history, archaeology, or a related field, are eligible to apply. Princeton University students are given priority for all positions. Previous recipients of the summer internship are not eligible to apply. Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Dates and Compensation
The 2020 program will run from Monday, July 6 to Friday, August 21. This summer, interns will work remotely part-time (~20 hours per week). During the academic year, students generally work 10-15 per week (not to exceed twenty hours per week). Undergraduate students (and recent college graduates) are paid at least $17 per hour. Graduate students are paid at least $20 per hour. All interns must be available to work the entire seven-week period.
How to Apply
Applications must include: a cover letter describing the applicant’s specific interest in the internship program, including department of interest; academic and life experience that prepares the applicant for this program; and how a museum internship relates to the applicant’s larger educational or career goals. Applicants must also include a C.V. or résumé, at least one letter of academic recommendation, and an official academic transcript. The deadline for receipt of all materials is 5 p.m. on Monday, June 15. Please submit ALL materials electronically to PUAMint@princeton.edu.
Applicants may be contacted for interviews, and accepted applicants will be notified by Friday, June 26. For additional questions, see our FAQs.
With Thanks
Summer internships are made possible, in part, by generous support from the Frelinghuysen Foundation; the Hilla Rebay Foundation; the Anne C. Sherrerd, Graduate School Class of 1987, Art Museum Fund; Christina Simonius, Class of 1990.
Museum Voices Internship at the Princeton University Art Museum
To encourage greater diversity in the museum profession, undergraduate and graduate students who are members of groups underrepresented in museum careers are invited to apply for the Museum Voices Internship at the Princeton University Art Museum. The 2020 summer program will run for seven weeks from Monday, July 6 to Friday, August 21 and is a joint program with the general internship. Undergraduate students majoring in any discipline, and graduate students who have completed their first year in an M.A. or Ph.D. program, are eligible to apply. Princeton University students and first generation and under-represented minority students are given priority.
Interns have the opportunity to work in various departments, which could include: curatorial, education, development, information technology, marketing, office of the registrar, publications, or retail and wholesale operations. Please specify your interest in a specific department. Not all departments take interns each summer. Interns are placed on the basis of their experience, academic training, and departmental need. Collections information research will be part of all the interns’ experience. To learn about past summer internship projects, please watch our summer internship video series “Interns at Work.”
Summer 2020 projects include:
Ancient Art: improving digital access to museum object records and images and devising innovative interpretive strategies for the expanded galleries of ancient art for the new Princeton University Art Museum; undergraduates or graduate students pursuing degrees in Classics or Classical Art and Archaeology preferred.
Art of the Ancient Americas: assisting in cataloguing and accessioning the Gillett G. Griffin bequest; participating in the development of exhibition and related publication focusing on the Museum’s collections of Mesoamerican art; contributing to the conceptualization and planning of ancient Americas displays for the new museum building.
Communication and Information-two positions:
- Image Management and Rights and Reproductions intern: working with Art Information staff to articulate an image retention policy, undertake the organization and deletion of old image resources, and conduct copyright inquiries for works in the Museum’s collections.
- Digital design intern: working closely with the Art Information team to generate designs for new access to the Museum’s collections; experience in UX design and web platforms required.
European Painting and Sculpture: working on a catalogue of French paintings in the collection, adding new bibliography and drafting an entry; graduate student proficient in French strongly preferred.
Design: assisting with upcoming exhibitions in the areas of experiential and graphic design; working on graphic design projects to support the Education and Marketing departments; proficiency in Adobe Indesign and knowledge of typography and layout required.
Education-two positions:
1. PUPP and Museum Education: assisting with PUPP art courses, teaching high school students, gaining hands-on classroom experience, creating museum experiences for students of diverse backgrounds, and serving as a mentor for high school students with interest in the arts. Interns will also work with the Museum’s Education department providing support for visiting summer groups, participating in summer programs, and collaborating on special projects. Interest in teaching and studio art desirable.
2. Visitor Engagement: working closely with the Visitor Logistics Coordinator and the Manager of Outreach to coordinate Museum visits for summer groups; scheduling and facilitating visits; working with the education team to develop activities for families; assisting with visitor surveys, data collection and analysis in an effort to identify ways to improve visitor experiences.
Modern and Contemporary Art: contributing to research and correspondence related to contemporary native North American art with an emphasis on building connections to the Art Museum collections; a strong interest in contemporary indigenous art and scholarly conversations about expanding the art historical canon is required.
Museum Store: assisting with visitor engagement and with product development related to artwork in the museum’s collection.
Program
In addition to departmental responsibilities, interns receive a broad introduction to the Art Museum collections and to the museum field through a four-day orientation program and weekly discussions with Museum staff.
Eligibility
Undergraduate students from any two- or four-year college or university, and graduate students who have completed their first year in a M.A. or Ph.D. program in art history, archaeology, or a related field, are eligible to apply. Princeton University students are given priority for all positions. Previous recipients of the summer internship are not eligible to apply. Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Dates and Compensation
The 2020 program will run from Monday, July 6 to Friday, August 21. This summer, interns will work remotely part-time (~20 hours per week). During the academic year, students generally work 10-15 per week (not to exceed twenty hours per week). Undergraduate students (and recent college graduates) are paid at least $17 per hour. Graduate students are paid at least $20 per hour. All interns must be available to work the entire seven-week period.
How to Apply
Applications must include: a cover letter describing the applicant’s specific interest in the internship program, including department of interest; academic and life experience that prepares the applicant for this program; and how a museum internship relates to the applicant’s larger educational or career goals. Applicants must also include a C.V. or résumé, at least one letter of academic recommendation, and an official academic transcript. The deadline for receipt of all materials is 5 p.m. on Monday, June 15. Please submit ALL materials electronically to PUAMint@princeton.edu.
Applicants may be contacted for interviews, and accepted applicants will be notified by Friday, June 26. For additional questions, see our FAQs.
With Thanks
Summer internships are made possible, in part, by generous support from the Frelinghuysen Foundation; the Hilla Rebay Foundation; the Anne C. Sherrerd, Graduate School Class of 1987, Art Museum Fund; Christina Simonius, Class of 1990.