Be part of the Archives' team by working alongside our staff and more than 20 million archival items.
The Archives of American Art offers internships year-round to students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs who wish to learn and gain professional experience in various fields including archival science, information management, museum studies, art administration, art history, and cultural studies.
Internships are offered in the spring, summer, and fall terms to undergraduates or graduate students who have not yet completed their degrees, or who have graduated within the past six months. Summer internships are accompanied by a $6,500 stipend, based on a full-time, ten-week schedule. Pro-rated stipends may be available for part-time internships, which are available during the academic year and, in some cases, during the summer.
Questions about internships may be directed to Marisa Bourgoin at bourgoinm@si.edu.
Internship applicants will be asked to indicate their top three choices from the projects below; please note that some projects are only available to graduate students. All projects are accompanied by a $6,500 stipend, based on a full-time, ten-week schedule. Pro-rated stipends may be available for part-time internships, which are available during the academic year and, in some cases, during the summer.
A professional and focused experience in archival work structured around processing and preservation of archival collections, cataloging and archival descriptive practices and standards including EAD (Encoded Archival Description). Graduate interns work under the supervision and guidance of senior archivists in Collections Processing.
Supports the work of the Archives' managing editor. Projects include fact-checking and proofreading articles, conducting image research, and producing social media content for the Archives' peer-reviewed scholarly Archives of American Art Journal (https://www.aaa.si.edu/publications/journal).
A professional and focused experience in collection management and processing tasks associated with archival sound and moving image materials found throughout the Archives’ collections. Tasks may include digital reference copy production, surveying audiovisual media in new accessions, improving housing and storage, metadata maintenance and improvement, and arrangement and description of AV-rich archival collections. Interns may be trained in media inspection, handling, using obsolete playback equipment, and archival arrangement and description, and software systems such as ArchivesSpace, audio and video digitization software, collection information systems used at AAA and SI, and standalone media survey and assessment tools. Applicants with a demonstrated interest in working with archival audiovisual media will be given preference. See full posting for details.
For this part-time internship in digital collections and metadata projects, you will support initiatives to improve the discoverability of digitized items at the Archives. This internship provides opportunities to work with reparative description and item cataloguing, and may be offered remotely or at our Washington, DC research center. See full posting for details.
Supports the work of the curatorial department. Past intern projects have included exhibitions research and writing; exhibition installation; and research for upcoming publications.
The Office of Advancement is responsible for raising private support for the Archives through individual giving, foundation gifts and grants, special events, and more. Interns will assist with a variety of projects, including but not limited to: database management, fundraising communications, prospect identification and research, and special events.
This internship will provide an excellent opportunity to gain experience in a fast-paced work environment at a prestigious institution and will prepare the intern for a career in the arts, museums, or nonprofits. The intern should be detail-oriented, have an interest in research and possess strong writing and critical thinking skills. Interns must be able to communicate in a professional, effective manner with various stakeholders. An interest in history and the visual arts is preferred.
Supports the work of the Digital Experience Manager. User Experience interns will learn how to conduct user experience research and then synthesize findings and best practices to develop innovative and strategic solutions that improve the user experience. Please note: there are special application requirements for this internship. See full posting for details.
In this Oral History Management internship, you will be immersed in what goes into the management of a longstanding and ongoing oral history program. This internship is offered in the Archives’ Washington, DC office could be offered remotely. See full posting for details.
Assists reference staff in responding to public inquiries, including conducting research and composing replies; preparing box lists for collections; and assisting with special projects.
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Semester of Internship |
Application Deadline |
|---|---|
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Spring |
preceding October 1 |
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Summer |
February 25 |
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Fall |
June 1 |
Applicants must submit the following materials through the Smithsonian’s online internship application system (SOLAA, opens in new window), and choose the name of the specific internship program to which they are applying.
General or Luce Foundation Internships:
Cover letter
Résumé detailing your educational background and work/volunteer experience
Unofficial academic transcript
One reference
Names and email addresses of a reference whom we will contact for letters of recommendation. References should be able to speak to the applicant’s academic abilities, but personal recommendations will also be considered. Please note that the SOLAA system will ask for two references but you only need to submit one.
Graduate Internships:
Cover letter
Résumé detailing your educational background and work/volunteer experience
One reference
Name and email address of one reference whom we will contact for a letter of recommendation. Reference should be able to speak to the applicant’s academic abilities, but personal recommendations will also be considered.
All internship application packages must be submitted through Smithsonian’s online internship application system (SOLAA, opens in new window).
For information about obtaining housing for your internship, please visit the Smithsonian Office of Fellowships and Internships D.C. Housing guide (link opens in new window).
For more information about Smithsonian Internships, please visit the Smithsonian Office of Fellowships and Internships Frequently Asked Questions page (link opens in new window).
Postdoctoral, Senior, Predoctoral, and Graduate Student Fellowships are offered through the Office of Fellowships, (opens in new window), 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 (opens in new window) publication. You may also siofi@si.edu.
Volunteers should have an interest in American history, art history, or archival and information science, and should be able to spend at least four hours a week on assigned tasks. Both in-person and digital volunteer opportunities are available.
In-person volunteers at the Archives of American Art are part of the Behind-the-Scenes Volunteer Program of the Smithsonian Institution.
Digital volunteers may not be required to officially register with the Smithsonian’s Volunteer Program, depending on the nature and duration of their project.
For a full listing of volunteer opportunities throughout the Smithsonian, visit http://www.si.edu/volunteer.
Position: Transcribers and Reviewers
Project: Digital volunteers will transcribe and review digitized historical documents to make the documents full-text searchable, with the purpose of improving intellectual access to information contained within collections. Access Archives of American Art projects in the Smithsonian Transcription Center now (link opens in new window)
Location: Online only
Dates: Ongoing
How to participate: Register for an account at Smithsonian Digital Volunteers: Transcription Center (link opens in new window)
The Archives of American Art collects primary source materials—original letters, writings, preliminary sketches, scrapbooks, photographs, financial records and the like—that have significant research value for the study of art in America.
Find out how to give your papers, records, recordings, or other primary source material to the Archives of American Art.
Your support of the Archives of American Art helps us achieve our mission to collect, preserve, and provide access to primary sources that document the history of the visual arts in America.
Internship, fellowship, and volunteer opportunities provide students and lifelong learners with the ability to contribute to the study and preservation of visual arts records in America.
