Art History Internships
Recent Art History majors have interned at the following New York City institutions: The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Christie’s Auction House, and The Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The Senior Internship for 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.
During the last few years our students have interned at major art museums and organizations including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Biblical Art, Christie’s Auction House, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, the Salmugundi Art Club, The Brooklyn Museum, The Barnes Collection and many others.
GUIDELINES
Minimum: 100 hours per semester, but ideally 200 hours per semester (that would be about 2 days a week for about twelve weeks) at Art museum, gallery, architectural site, public arts organization, arts advocacy group.
Internship should give students exposure to workings 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.
View recent Art History Internship Projects here.