Internship Annoucement
Volunteer internships at Phoenix Art Museum provide current undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, with opportunities to work on projects directed by Museum staff. They introduce interns to the broad spectrum of museum work and to Museum staff, departments, programs and operations. Summer internships last for eight weeks and total 160 work hours. Fall/spring semester and special-projects internships total at least 120 work hours.
Unless otherwise noted in individual internship descriptions, most internships at Phoenix Art Museum are performed on a volunteer basis. Museum staff members aid in the intern’s pursuit of academic credit, if applicable. All interns receive a one-year student membership at Phoenix Art Museum.
Fall 2008
Applications are no longer being accepted for Fall 2008.
Spring 2009
All application materials must be received no later than November 1.
CURATORIAL/FASHION DESIGN
Education: Undergraduate or recent graduate
Major/area(s) of study: Fashion design, fashion merchandising, fashion history, textile conservation or related field
Schedule: TBD with Staff Supervisor; 10 – 20 hours/week for a total of at least 120 work hours
Primary purpose: To aid the curator of fashion design with upcoming exhibitions and maintenance of the Museum’s fashion design collection.
Essential functions:
1. Help manage the backlog of garments to be photographed and stored in fashion design storage vault.
2. Maintain department records (e.g. contact lists, press, research, collection committee forms).
3. Assist with research for upcoming projects (e.g., lectures, exhibitions).
4. Aid with upkeep of vault.
5. Work as part of team to install rotating fashion design exhibitions. Installation may include: building mounts and wigs, dressing mannequins and/or creating gallery labels.
6. Other departmental duties as needed.
Special skills/physical requirements: Intern must be able to lift garment boxes weighing 20-30 lbs. Computer skills should include MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Picture Manager) and rudimentary knowledge of Adobe Photoshop. Must have excellent public relations skills. Good writing skills are necessary to describe designers and garments concisely and intelligently.
Other comments: This internship requires a background check. Graduate students are also encouraged to apply. Other special events for the fashion design collection – such as luncheons, lectures, gallery talks, exhibition openings – require intern assistance (i.e., occasional evening and/or weekend hours).
DEVELOPMENT
Education: Current undergraduate or recent graduate
Major/area(s) of study: Business, non-profit management or related field
Schedule: TBD with Staff Supervisor; 10 – 20 hours/week for a total of at least 120 work hours
Primary purpose: To support the Development Department with ongoing projects and fundraising initiatives.
Essential functions: Depending on intern's interests and major field(s) of study, projects may include:
1. Create new corporate sales prospectuses relating to the Museum’s advance exhibition schedule.
2. Research potential corporate leads and follow up with written and/or telephone correspondence.
3. Complete necessary internal and external follow-up for the Whiteman Hall seating project.
4. Follow up with new donors recruited through the planned-giving project.
5. Work on electronic update of Museum’s volunteer history (necessitates background check).
6. Conduct preliminary research on prospective donors.
7. Aid with the production of biannual planned-giving newsletter.
8. Prepare for Development Department’s special events.
9. Administrative/other duties as needed.
Special skills/physical requirements: Excellent customer service and communication skills needed for interaction with Museum members, donors and the public. Intern should be detail-oriented and have strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and InDesign a plus.
Other comments: This internship requires a background check. Graduate students are also encouraged to apply.
EDUCATION
Education: Current undergraduate or recent graduate
Major/area(s) of study: Art history, art education, museum studies or related field
Schedule: TBD with Staff Supervisor; 10 – 20 hours/week for a total of at least 120 work hours
Primary purpose: To evaluate the Museum’s current audioguide for content useability and make recommendations for future production.
Essential functions:
1. Evaluate current content of Museum’s current audioguide.
2. Work with Education and Curatorial Departments to update material for new audioguide.
3. Other duties as needed.
Special skills/physical requirements: Strong background in art history and/or art education; attention to detail; excellent writing skills; and ability to work individually and as part of a team are musts.
Other comments: Graduate students are also welcome to apply.
FACILITIES
Education: Undergraduate or recent graduate
Major/area(s) of study: Any facilities or building operation management related major
Schedule: TBD with Staff Supervisor; 10 – 20 hours/week for a total of at least 120 work hours
Primary purpose: To learn and be responsible, under the guidance of the Museum’s facilities management team, for a certain segment of the department (may include computer management systems, preventative maintenance programs, event planning and execution, new construction, custodial care, green initiatives and LEED technology, etc.).
Essential functions: Depending on the time of year, available projects and work hours vary. The internship is tailored to the individual prior to offer or acceptance.
Other comments: This internship requires a background check. A facilities intern gains experience in bridging the gap between institutional learning and actual real-world facilities management. S/he observes the interplay of a diverse group of people and departments and how they impact the operations of a maintenance department. Interns learn how bond money is obtained, utilized and reallocated.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Education: Undergraduate or recent graduate
Major/area(s) of study: Graphic design or related field
Schedule: TBD with Staff Supervisor; 10 – 20 hours/week for a total of at least 120 work hours
Primary purpose: To conceptualize and develop marketing materials for the Museum in conjunction with in-house design team.
Essential functions:
1. Work with Museum’s graphic designer to develop projects such as posters and brochures for other departments and/or support organizations.
2. Resize ads for placement in a variety of print media.
3. Update the Museum’s Web site and/or create new subpages as needed.
4. Work with public relations manager to develop press kits for special exhibitions.
5. Other projects as needed.
Special skills/physical requirements: Intern should be articulate, well presented and proficient in the following applications: Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator (CS version 1 or above), Quark Xpress (version 5 or above) and MS Office (version 2003 or above) applications.
Other comments: Intern is encouraged to use personal Mac laptop for design projects, if possible. Graduate students are also encouraged to apply. If selected for an interview, candidates will be requested to present a portfolio covering a variety of media from print through Web.
MARKETING
Education: Undergraduate or recent graduate
Major/area(s) of study: Marketing or related field
Schedule: TBD with Staff Supervisor; 10 – 20 hours/week for a total of at least 120 work hours
Primary purpose: To support the Museum’s marketing and public relations team with tactics to increase Museum awareness to the Metro Phoenix population, both inside and outside the Museum.
Essential functions:
1. Organize press clippings.
2. Meet with potential Museum partners to distribute marketing materials.
3. Organize/collect imagery for use in Museum advertising campaigns.
4. Get involved in creative brainstorming sessions to discuss the promotion of upcoming exhibitions.
5. Clerical/administrative/other duties as required.
Special skills/physical requirements: Intern should be articulate, well presented and proficient in major Microsoft applications.
Other comments: Preference is given to graduate students; graduating seniors; and upper-level undergraduates.
REGISTRATION
Number of positions: 2
Education: Undergraduate or recent graduate
Major/area(s) of study: Art history, museum studies or related field
Schedule: TBD with Staff Supervisor; 10 – 20 hours/week for a total of at least 120 work hours
Primary purpose: To assist Registration staff with collection-management projects.
Essential functions: This primary purpose will be supplemented by:
1. Assistance with object marking, photography and inventory of artwork.
2. Ongoing project involving accession records (i.e. loan agreements, deeds of gift and object information).
3. Condition reports.
4. Legal forms (deeds of gift, incoming/outgoing receipts, incoming/outgoing loan agreements, non-exclusive license agreements).
5. Exhibition installation/deinstallation.
6. Collection research.
7. Data entry into collections-management database .
8. Responding to inquiries about the Museum’s collection.
9. Other departmental projects as needed.
Special skills/physical requirements: Interns will interact with a wide variety of people including staff members, lenders/donors, other institutions and the public. Due to the confidental nature of the information stored in the Registrar’s Office, discretion is essential.
Other comments: This internship requires a background check. Registration interns literally receive “hands-on” experience. The registrars are committed to working with students who have a sincere interest in museum registration/collections management.
How to Apply
1. Carefully review individual internship descriptions to make sure that you meet all criteria before applying.
2. Download the full internship program guidelines and application.
3. Application deadlines: Completed application materials must be received by March 1 for summer, July 1 for fall semester or November 1 for spring semester. Please send application materials to:
Phoenix Art Museum
ATTN: Internships
1625 North Central Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1685
Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted for consideration. Applications will not be accepted by e-mail or fax.
Questions? E-mail the Museum’s Education Department