Internship, Volunteer, and Fellowship Opportunities
Internship Programs & Requirements
The Archives of American Art has opportunities for internships throughout the year for both undergraduate and graduate students. Internships encourage students to explore careers related to archival, information management, curatorial, and art history fields.
General Internships
AAA offers General Internships to undergraduate and graduate students who have not yet completed their degrees. A background in art history, American or cultural studies, American history, historic preservation, or archival studies is desirable. Solid research, analytical, computer, and writing skills are desired. Summer interns also participate in Smithsonian-wide special programs, tours, and events designed exclusively for interns.
General interns are usually required to work 10 weeks on a full-time basis, and stipends are not typically offered. Applications are accepted year-round.
The deadline for Summer 2010 internships is March 15, 2010. Interns will be notified at the end of March and will be expected to respond by April 24, 2010.
General Internships are offered in the following areas:
- Archival Arrangement, Preservation, and Description–Archival processing and preservation work, such as arranging historical papers of artists or records of art galleries and arts organizations, describing archival collections in online inventories and finding aids, and performing basic preservation work of document-based collections, artwork, photographs, and audio-visual formats.
- Archives of American Art Journal–Interns working with Archives of American Art Journal staff have transcribed documents; selected images and prepared interview excerpts relevant to articles; developed and implemented marketing programs; and maintained the Journal’s mailing list.
- Cataloging and Metadata–Works on projects to improve and enhance catalog records in SIRIS (the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System) and in our local Digital Collections Database. Work may involve data entry clean-up; assigning subject and name access points; preparing descriptive summaries; performing biographical research on art and artists’ authority files; and reviewing catalog records for accuracy.
- Curatorial–Works in support of the curatorial department. Past intern projects have included archival exhibition research, label and text preparation, and installation and research for upcoming publications.
- Development/Membership/External Affairs–Works to support the staff of the development and membership office. Projects include, but are not limited to, database data entry and organization; prospect research; events-related support; external affairs projects as they arise; and limited administrative support.
- Digital Projects–Works in support of digitization initiatives to increase access to collections through digitization and website access. Possible assignments include assisting with scanning and digital curation activities; entering data in our Digital Collections Database; researching digitization standards best practices; preparing technical and administrative documentation; testing digitization workflows; and assisting with interface design, usability studies, and related web development activities.
- Oral History–The Archives has ongoing grant-funded projects to interview America’s leading artists and art dealers. Intern tasks related to this project might include editing tape-recorded interviews, assisting with the preliminary description of interviews, and fact checking; as well as assisting with the production of progress reports and archival exhibitions concerning the project. An intern might also assist in preliminary preparation of papers donated to the Archives as part of the project.
- New York Office–The Archives of American Art office in New York is located on the Avenue of the Americas between 51st and 52nd Streets. For information on intern projects in New York see the Reference; Development/Membership/External Affairs; and Archival Arrangement, Preservation, and Description sections.
- Reference–Assists reference staff in responding to public inquiries concerning Archives of American Art collections, including conducting research in collections and composing replies; prepares box lists for collections; and assists with special projects.
How to Apply
Internship applications must be submitted through the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System. Applicants will be required to upload the following materials:
- Cover letter
- Résumé detailing your experience, career interests, and internship goals
- Unofficial academic transcript
- Two letters of recommendation, which may be uploaded by the applicant or sent by mail to the attention of the Intern Coordinator, Archives of American Art, PO Box 37012, Victor Building, Suite 2200, MRC 937, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
For further information contact Marisa Bourgoin at bourgoinm@si.edu.
Graduate Archival Internships
The AAA has opportunities for graduate students in advanced archival tracks and programs. Depending upon the individual needs of the program and student, a professional and focused experience in archival work may be structured around processing and preservation; cataloging and EAD (Encoded Archival Description) descriptive practices and standards; collections management surveys and databases; and digital collections access projects.
Interns must schedule their work Monday through Friday during regular business hours. Course credit can be given with the approval of the intern’s academic institution.
Graduate interns work under the supervision and guidance of staff archivists in either Collections Processing or Digital Initiatives. The Archives has expanded facilities with spacious and bright processing areas, large climate-controlled storage areas, and a well-equipped digital collections center. Facilities and offices of the Archives of American Art are housed in the Victor Building located in downtown Washington, DC in the Gallery Place/Chinatown neighborhood, easily accessible by Metro.
Inquiries about Graduate Archival Internships should be directed to:
Barbara Aikens (aikensb@si.edu)
Chief, Collections Processing
Archives of American Art
PO Box 37012
Victor Building, Suite 2200, MRC 937
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
More information on Smithsonian Institution Internships.
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers provide valuable assistance to the staff of the Archives of American Art through a variety of activities, including the transcription of oral history interviews, organizing and storing archival records, providing research support for curatorial staff, and responding to public inquiries.
Volunteers should have an interest in American history, art history, or archival management, and should be able to spend at least four hours a week on assigned tasks. Volunteers at the Archives of American Art are part of the Behind-the-Scenes Volunteer Program of the Smithsonian Institution.
For information regarding Volunteer opportunities, email the Smithsonian Visitor Information and Associates' Reception Center (VIARC) at info@si.edu.
Fellowships
Postdoctoral, Senior, Pre-doctoral, and Graduate Student Fellowships are offered through the Office of Fellowships, Smithsonian Institution. These in-residence appointments for research and study using the facilities and collections of the Archives of American Art, and the advice and guidance of staff members, are awarded for periods of 3 to 12 months. Stipends are available.
Application forms and detailed information about Fellowships should be obtained by consulting the Opportunities for Research and Study publication and the Program Appications download page. You may also contact the Office of Fellowships at siofg@si.edu.