Work with MoMA curators and educators and gain experience in the museum field.
The Museum of Modern Art: The Seasonal Internship Program provides undergraduate and graduate students and beginning professionals with practical experience in a specific area of museum work at The Museum of Modern Art. In addition to departmental work, each Tuesday interns participate in professional development activities designed to increase understanding of the Museum’s various collections, exhibitions, and departments. The Museum hosts approximately 25 interns per season in just about every department. Participants may arrange for academic credit through their school, but it is certainly not a requirement.
MoMA PS1: MoMA PS1 offers hands-on internships for college students and recent graduates in several of its departments. Our internship program provides the opportunity to learn about the operations of a non-profit art institution and to work alongside some of the world’s most exciting contemporary artists and curators.
MoMA PS1 is also a host for Studio in a School’s Summer Arts Intern Program. Visit www.artsintern.org for more information.
The Museum of Modern Art Fall 2018 internships require a minimum commitment of three days per week, one of which must be Tuesday. The schedule for the three days is 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. One must have a minimum of two years of college completed (or equivalent) by September 2018 in order to apply.
Intern candidates must possess a strong command of English, excellent communication skills, strong writing skills, word-processing skills on a PC-platform, and the ability to work and function in a creative and flexible environment. Most interns are based in one department, but have the opportunity to interact with all departments on a regular basis. All interns work on a volunteer basis for a full trimester with a schedule determined by the Intern’s department supervisor. MoMA PS1 is looking for interns who are able to work a minimum of two full days per week (seven hours per day).
Interns will be invited to attend field trips/lectures at non-profit institutions and museums in the New York area that have been organized by the Internship Coordinator. In addition, interns may be asked to assist staff with special events, public programs, and exhibition openings.
12-Month
Full-time, 12-month internships with stipends are offered for recent college graduates interested in pursuing a museum career. The focused departmental training is integrated with the fall, spring, and summer lecture series and complemented with financial provisions for the interns to create a research trip related to their field of interest. Additionally, monthly activities are designed specifically for this cohort to receive greater exposure to the museum and art fields. Twelve-month internships provide training in specific museum fields through close work with a professional staff member, familiarity with modern and contemporary art through seminars and discussions, and an educational program that exposes interns to the workings of the Museum as a whole, while considering the role of museums in the broader cultural context.
Below are the descriptions and requirements for the 12-month internship positions for 2018–19. All internships begin on September 10, 2018 and end on September 6, 2019.
Participates in the entire spectrum of curatorial activities in which the Department of Film engages, from exhibition planning to visiting the Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center. Focuses on research, planning, and execution of MoMA’s annual Doc Fortnight film festival, working with the organizing curator on all administrative aspects of the project. Assists various curatorial and administrative staff of the department in all aspects of film operations.
Works across this curatorial department, assisting with a wide range of projects, from researching works in the Museum’s collection to helping to organize upcoming exhibitions. Performs general administrative tasks for the department and may also participate in facilitating the acquisitions process and in the planning of gallery changes.
Under the guidance of the curatorial and administrative staff, the intern primarily works on the installation of MoMA’s collection for the 2019 reopening. Responsibilities specific to the exhibitions include assisting with researching and clearing image rights for exhibition, catalogue, and digital use; helping coordinate with external and internal parties for exhibition-related public programming; assisting with logistics for the exhibition opening reception; and supporting curatorial staff with the management of a high volume of exhibition-related tasks and inquiries.
The Museum of Modern Art is currently in the midst of a major expansion project, which is expected to be completed in mid to late 2019. The goals for the project are threefold: to increase gallery space and allow the Museum to exhibit more of its diverse collection in deeper and more interdisciplinary ways, to provide visitors with a more welcoming and comfortable experience, and to better connect the Museum to the urban fabric of midtown Manhattan. Working with the Director of the opening of the new Museum, the Modern Women’s Fund 12-month intern for the 2018–19 term assists and provides support with program development and design development through project completion and occupancy— with an emphasis on how the Museum’s new spaces will display, engage with, and focus on the work of women artists. The intern also assists with day-to-day administrative duties, including filing, data entry, maintaining calendars, and scheduling meetings; prepares PowerPoint and other materials for presentations, lectures, and special projects; and coordinates with other Museum departments and staff as needed.
Performs general administrative duties, which include opening, sorting, and routing director’s office mail; filing and record keeping; drafting correspondence on behalf of the director; and answering the telephone. Attention to detail, ability to prioritize tasks, and a confident telephone manner are critical. Must be able to greet external guests and exchange in friendly dialogue and, generally, act as the face of the Director’s Office.
Provides support to the Adult and Academic Programs (AAP) area of the Department of Education. Tasks include coordinating daily gallery programs and maintaining correspondence with educators, assisting in development and production of evening programs, responding to inquiries from the public on behalf of the AAP team, and coordinating program details with participants, MoMA staff, and volunteers. Additional tasks include assisting with new initiatives related to the reopening of the expanded museum in 2019. The intern also learns all of the details implicit in making a program run successfully, including marketing, ticketing, and program evaluation. The intern also has the opportunity to put together his or her own program, executing all of the steps of organizing a program from conception to realization.
Assists the director of Research and Development, Paola Antonelli, in all areas. Performs administrative and research tasks in the context of R&D functions: coordinates the interaction with other museum departments and committees; researches topics, companies, individuals, and technologies of immediate and long-term relevance to R&D and to the Museum; keeps track of pertinent topics in publications, blogs, and social networks; prepares mailings and briefings for selected MoMA staff; and maintains a site for the R&D Department. The intern will coordinate a group of R&D advisors and organize meetings of various scale and kind, from one-on-one interviews to private salons and public symposia. The intern will act as a liaison with other areas of the Museum, such as curatorial departments, Digital Media and IT, Marketing and Communications, Development, Membership, Retail, and the offices of the COO, the Senior Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, and the CFO.
The intern participates in the essential activities of the Department of Drawings and Prints, which may include assisting the staff in the following areas: collection management, acquisitions, loans, exhibition research and catalogue production, and administration. The collection of drawings and prints, numbering some 75,000 objects, is housed within the department offices, so the intern has the opportunity to work directly with art objects, after requisite conservation training. In addition, the intern will work in the department’s Study Center, which services approximately 1,000 visitors per year (including classes) and is integral to its curatorial mission. In general, the intern will be involved with various aspects of the department programs, under the guidance of the curatorial and administrative staff. This internship is named in honor of artist Louise Bourgeois, whose extensive work in printmaking comprises an archive within the Museum’s collection.
Four 12-Month Internships Supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation
As a sponsor of the J-1 visa program, the Museum is committed to providing opportunities for international students and emerging professionals to learn about the practices and organizational systems of an American museum. To this end, with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, MoMA is accepting applications for four 12-month internships for Greek nationals. Details are listed below.
Assists in coordinating various Access and Prime Time Programs, including programming for older adults, individuals who are blind or have low vision, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, individuals who have intellectual or developmental disabilities, and individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Works as part of a team to administer programs across the department. This intern is also responsible for office tasks such as managing art supply inventory and orders, documenting programs and partnerships, taking reservations for programs, and assisting with the exhibition of artwork produced through various Prime Time or Access programs. Finally, the intern has the opportunity to identify special interests and work on an independent project.
Assists with tasks related to the exhibition Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980, on view July 2018–January 2019, and with tasks related to the 2019 installation of the collection galleries after the reopening of the Museum. Responsibilities specific to Toward a Concrete Utopia include helping coordinate with internal and external parties for exhibition-related public programming, assisting curatorial staff with the management of a high volume of exhibition-related tasks and inquiries while the exhibition is on view, and helping with the de-install and dispersal of works in January. The exhibition’s primary focus will be architecture from socialist Yugoslavia. Models, films, photographs, drawings, prints, and works in other mediums will also be included. The exhibition will include a number of loaned works. Tasks related to the collection gallery installations include assisting with exhibition records, finalization of checklists, wall and object label copy, and internal and external programming tied to the 2019 museum reopening. Reports to the Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design.
Works with the department’s curators and curatorial assistant on upcoming exhibitions. The intern’s tasks primarily focus on exhibition-related research for the checklist and catalogue, including bibliographic research, image sourcing and permission requests, and editing and design assistance. Additional duties include support with exhibition planning, liaising with the artists’ studios, event support, working fluidly across the Museum’s departments, and other tasks as assigned.
The intern is responsible for supporting the coordination of various activities related to performance in MoMA’s exhibition program during the term of the internship, which includes Judson Dance Theater: The Work Is Never Done and Bruce Nauman: Disappearing Acts. Supporting the assistant director/producer and the assistant performance coordinator, works in tandem with other members of the performance exhibition team, including project-specific production assistants, curators, curatorial assistants, Visitor Engagement staff, Security staff, Exhibition Design staff, and other departments. Assists in the implementation of performance schedules; acts as the contact person and liaison for artists and performers; coordinates with various third parties, such as costume supervisors, organizing and maintaining green room supplies, performing regular gallery checks as needed, troubleshooting questions from performers, and addressing sensitive issues with care; and any other duties reasonably related to the functions described above, including scheduling meetings, managing calendars, taking meeting notes, general office and file organization, and budget tracking.
Education at MoMA is made possible by a partnership with Volkswagen of America.
Internship Programs are made possible by an endowment established by Clarissa and Edgar Bronfman, Jr.; the Emily Fisher Landau Educator Fund; the Louise Bourgeois Internship Fund; and by the gifts of Alan Kanzer.
Major annual support is provided by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
Generous funding is provided by The Dedalus Foundation, Inc.; The Friends of Education of The Museum of Modern Art; The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art; The Modern Women’s Fund; and Agnes Gund.
Additional support is provided by Council for Canadian American Relations; Allianz; Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation; Carole Kismaric Mikolaycak Internship Endowment; The Syracuse Cinephile Society in memory of Phil Serling, Founder; and the Annual Education Fund.