Solomon R. Guggenheim Art Museum Internships (NYC)

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Art Museum displays a variety of forms of contemporary art and is located in New York City (not far from the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, in fact!) The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and now houses an array of intriguing art installations and permanent pieces. Internships are offered for advanced undergrads and above, with plenty of professional development opportunities offered, including a field trip. An international fellowship and internship are also offered at the museum's international locations in Venice and Bilbao for candidates with language fluency in appropriate tongues.

Internship Information:

• Open to junior level and above undergrads, recent graduates, grad students, postgraduates, and mature professionals
• Spring, summer, fall internships available
• Spring and fall: part-time, 2 days a week
• Summer: full-time, 4-5 days/week
• 3 month commitment
• Museum culture seminar
• Unpaid, no housing available (suggestions can  be made)
• Summer graduate internship stipend program available (see site)
• Field trip
• Open to international students
• Departments available for internship (basically anything you can think of:
• Abu Dhabi Project (they are building a museum there but need help in NYC with planning)
• Abu Dhabi Project: Architecture/Exhibition Design
• Abu Dhabi Project: Curatorial
• Art Services and Prep
• Business Development
• Conservation
• Curatorial
• Curatorial: Asian Art
• Development (Individual, corporate, institutional, special events, operations)
• Director's Office
• Education
• Education: Public Programs
• Exhibition Design
• Exhibition Management
• Facilities and Office Services
• Finance
• Global Communications 
• Graphic Design
• HR
• IT
• Interactive
• Library and Archives
• Legal
• Marketing
• Media and PR
• Photography
• Publishing and Digital Media 
• Registrar
• Retail and E-commerce
• Visitor Services

Application Information:

• Application form
• Cover Letter
• Resume/CV
• List of relevant coursework
• 2 letters of recommendation
• 3-5 page writing sample (portfolio for certain departments)
• Postmarked before due dates:
• Summer: January 30
• Fall: June 1 
• Spring: November 1

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There is also an International Fellowship offered, which is paid work at three different museum locations, NYC, Bilbao, and Venice interesting in curatorial work. It is open those with at least a graduate degree in art history and a fluency in English, Italian, and Spanish.

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There is an international internship offered at the Guggenheim's location in Venice as well, with more information here: http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/education/internship-program.html

Smithsonian Internships

The Smithsonian, America's national museum institution, offers a dizzying array of internship opportunities, most centered in Washington, DC. You can apply to individual museums as well as to the general Smithsonian applicant pool (it's probably wisest to apply to both!) Most opportunities are unpaid but there are a few ones featuring stipends as well as some scholarships that can be applied to internships (select the stipend program tag to see these scholarships). This post details the various institution-wide programs there are; click the Smithsonian tag to see posts on internships and fellowships at specific Smithsonian museums and affiliates.

Smithsonian positions are prestigious but extremely competitive because the institution is so well known, so be sure to apply to other places as well. Also, you may be more likely to get busywork or be confined to work in one small area of the overall work of a museum just because of the nature of how large the museums are. The other downside is that they don't offer housing or stipends, which can make it difficult for out-of-the-area students to work because DC housing is extremely expensive, even in the suburbs. However, if it's your passion, go for it! Your school or outside organizations might have scholarship programs for interns you can apply to. Summer is an especially competitive time, so another tip is to apply to fall or spring internships if you can.

Internship opportunities:

• General Smithsonian Intern Pool: Smithsonian staff who need an intern can pull from this pool (pun intended)
• Fall Semester due date: August 1 
• Spring Semester due date: November 1
• Summer Semester due date: March 15
• Online application 
• You can also apply to specific museums' programs
• James E Webb Internship: for minorities interested in business and administration
• Must be a minority (and US citizen or resident) and enrolled in undergrad or grad program in business or public administration
• 10 weeks, full time
• $600/week stipend 
• Summer and Fall Deadline: February 1
• Spring Deadline: October 1 
• Online application
• Essay of interest, resume, unofficial transcripts, references
• Placed in an administration office in one of the museums or affiliates
• Katzenberger Foundation Art History Scholarship
• 6 offered each summer 
• need-based
• college junior or senior
• Art history major or related focus
• 3.0 GPA
• US Citizen or permanent resident
• Need-based
• February 1 due date
• $6,000 stipend
• Essay of interest, transcripts, resume, references
• Minority Awards Program
• Minority and a US citizen or permanent resident 
• Enrolled in undergrad or grad program with 3.0
• Summer and Fall Deadline: February 1
• Spring Deadline: October 1
• $600/week stipend
• 40 hours/week for 10 weeks
• Native American Awards
• Informally or formally relate to a Native American community
• Enrolled in undergrad or grad program
• Summer and Fall Deadline: February 1
• Spring Deadline: October 1
• $600/week stipend
• 40 hours/week for 10 weeks

Smithsonian Internship Programs for People with Disabilities

Here are two very exciting opportunities the Smithsonian has developed in recent years to aid those with disabilities in their professional development. I would like to personally commend the SI for implementing these excellent programs as disability advocacy is a much-overlooked field that is very close to my heart! 

• Accessibility Program for those with disabilities who are US citizens or permanent residents, high school students, college or grad students in a major related to program, or professionals who can benefit from the program (this is a stipend applied to whichever Smithsonian internship you obtain)
• $4,000 stipend for college and grad students for completion of 640 hours
• $1,500 for high school students
• Rolling admission
• Application requirements:
• Application
• Resume
• 2 page essay of intent
• Academic transcripts
• 2 letters of recommendation (can be from a variety of sources)
• Project SEARCH: an unpaid internship program for young adults with developmental disabilities to gain valuable work skills to aid future employment
• unpaid
• 10-month school-to-work transition program
• Rotate through three 10-week unpaid internship programs