Fashion Arts Curatorial Internship at Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Job Title: Intern, Fashin Arts Curatorial

Location: Boston, MA

Salary: $16/hr

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s Department of Contemporary Art is responsible for the acquisition, study, and display of art created from 1955 to today. Contemporary art at the MFA encompasses many media including fashion arts, jewelry, film and video art, sculpture, installation, photography, paintings, design, craft, decorative arts, and performance. In 1930, the Museum established the first curatorial department in any American museum devoted to textile arts. Today, the Department of Textile and Fashion Arts is global in scope, stewarding more than 30,000 objects that range from ancient Egyptian pleated dresses to contemporary fiber art.

The Department of Contemporary Art is actively seeking a talented current junior or senior undergraduate student with interest in a museum career for this paid internship position. The intern will be supervised and mentored by the Penny Vinik Curator of Fashion Arts, while also working in support of other department staff. This intern will gain valuable hands on experience through conducting research, supporting special projects and events within the department, and assisting with the administrative functioning of the department. For this role, we encourage applications from candidates who are strongly interested in curatorial work in a museum setting, but who may not yet have had the opportunity to experience it much or at all. The internship suit someone with a love of and true facility in reading, writing, and research, and who wants to learn how to direct these skills as part of museum work. 

Interns will work primarily onsite 16-20 hours per week, (within the 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday parameters), within the 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday parameters, from June 12 through August 25, 2023, including 2 hours on Thursdays to attend the Museum Pathways & Practices professional development course. 

Interns will be paid at the rate of $16.00 per hour. 

As we amplify our efforts toward becoming a truly inclusive institution, ensuring that diversity, equity, and access are lived values, we actively encourage candidates from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to apply to the program. 

Essential Functions (including but not limited to): 

  • Assist with programming for a current exhibition on weddings 
  • Assist with programming for an upcoming exhibition on John Singer Sargent and fashion 
  • Assist in curatorial research in conjunction with collection-related activities, exhibitions, and publications, including gathering library and archive materials to support initial research for an upcoming 2024 special exhibition on fashion and jewelry 
  • Research potential acquisitions and possible incoming gifts to the department 
  • Assist in researching collection objects for the purpose of writing web texts to enable the Fashion Arts collection to have a more visible and research-friendly public-facing digital platform, including social media 
  • Assist in imaging of collection objects by helping arrange their transfer to the MFA Photo Studio 
  • Research current fashion-centric events, exhibitions, etc., for a monthly newsletter 
  • Assist with digital and physical maintenance of checklists, image files, lenders, and other logistical details related to the curatorial care of a museum collection 
  • Assist curators in working with artists, collectors, and other colleagues 
  • As/if needed, occasionally work with the Curator in conjunction with Learning and Community Engagement, Development, and Marketing and Communications staff to prepare programs and materials to promote, publicize and  interpret the collection and exhibitions 
  • Assist with coordination of logistical needs for artists/curators visits including arranging honoraria, travel, lodging, meals, and any event-related logistics 
  • Work with the Curator and Registrars in updating and maintaining exhibitions and loans database 

Qualifications: 

  • Must be enrolled in and/or returning to an undergraduate program in fashion, costume design, material and visual culture, art history, history of decorative arts, museum studies, arts administration or art – with a demonstrated interest in museums 
  • Demonstrated strong and clear written and verbal communication skills
  • Proven strong research skills 
  • Demonstrated strong interest in and some knowledge of fashion, jewelry, and contemporary art 
  • Excellent organizational skills with keen attention to detail and ability to multitask 
  • Previous successful office experience, preferably in an arts organization, including proficiency in Microsoft office
  • Experience with art database programs (such as TMS) helpful 
  • Ability to commit to 16-20 hours on site per week (within 9am-5pm, Mon-Fri, parameters, from June 12 through Aug 25), including 2 hours per week on Thursdays to participate in the Museum Pathways & Practices professional development course 
  • Ability to attend orientation on Tues, June 13, 2023, 10am-3:30pm 

How to Apply

  1. Combine your cover letter and resume into a single document (Word or PDF) 
  2. Upload the single document as your resume via the ADP portal Internships | Museum of Fine Arts Boston (mfa.org) ASAP. 

(Failure to combine your cover letter and resume into a single document disqualifies your application.) 

Candidates may apply for no more than three (3) internships per semester. 

*Early application is urged; application deadline is Fri, Mar 24, 2023.