Art History Internships | Art Department

INTRODUCTION

The Senior Internship for Wagner Art History Majors will expose students to professional opportunities available within the discipline. After having completed their coursework through Junior year, undergraduates students will have an appropriately comprehensive knowledge of Art Historical concepts. The internship will allow them to use this knowledge in an experiential setting and give them insight to possible career paths they may wish to pursue. Students will actively seek these internships with the aid of their advisor. They are expected to spend 2-4 days per week working at an institution, assisting with various projects with professional staff, documented in a journal. At the end of the internship they are expected to complete a reflective paper.

GUIDELINES

Minimum: 100 hours per semester, but ideally 200 hours per semester (that would be about 2 days a week for about twelve weeks).

Art museum, gallery, architectural site, public arts organization, arts advocacy group.

Internship should give students exposure to working of organization but require more than clerical duties. Duties/tasks should include some of the following:

· Assist in curatorial responsibilities

· Assist in researching works of art

· Assist in teaching about works of art

· Leading talks, group tours of facility

· Assist in writing promotional or informational texts for organization

Skills/experience gained from internship should include some of the following:

· Deeper understanding of the way art institutions function—hierarchy, organization etc.

· Enhanced knowledge about artworks represented at that institution

· Enhanced research skills

· Enriched art historical vocabulary

· Enhanced awareness of the diverse functions, settings etc for works of art

· Exposure to new facets and positions within the field of art history

In addition to attending internships students must keep a weekly log of their hours and brief journal of their experience.

Students should speak bi-weekly in person or via email with their advisor.

A reflective paper, to be shared with other art history majors, will be produced at the culmination of the internship.

Brianna Scatorchia is interning at the Guggenheim Museum in Spring of 2010. Here is what Brianna has to say:

"So far this internship is amazing and a huge success! I am thrilled to be working at the Guggenheim! I am working in the exhibition management department and get to help coordinate exhibitions, learn about budgeting, help with our overseas exhibitions in Berlin, Bilbao, and Venice, and much more! Today was orientation which went well. Thursday I have training for some kind of computer program I will be working on. I am the only intern in my department. I get all kinds of benefits too like free museum access everywhere in the United States, discount on some restaurants, and a discount at the museum store. I will be going back and forth between my office on Hudson Street and the actual museum on 89th and 5th. My supervisors are great and I know I will learn a lot from them.

When my internship ends, I get put onto this Alum list where the Guggenheim alerts me of jobs available, apartments, other internships, or anything else I could possibly think of to get me started after college! They treat their interns just like paid employees and really value us because we put in our free time. Every week I have to attend an education seminar which includes meeting artists, learning more about non profit organizations, resume building, interviewing, etc. This internship is not only going to prepare me for the work place but I am going to gain valuable tips for life"