Museum Internship Position Descriptions

Please note that availability of internship positions is determined by the needs of the Gallery. Every effort will be made to accommodate a preference; all internship opportunities are valuable and worthwhile.  

Accounting
Curatorial
Deputy Director’s Office
Development
Education
Events Planning/Marketing/Public Relations
Human Resources
Library
Publications
Registrar’s Office
shop AK
Technology Services

Accounting

Interns in the Accounting Department will assist in various tasks related to the day-to-day accounting functions of the Gallery.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Accounts receivable
• Accounts payable
• Bank and general ledger account reconciliations
• Fixed asset tracking
• Monthly financial statement preparation

Requirements:

• Solid understanding of basic accounting principles
• Excellent organizational, communication, and computer skills
• Ability to work independently and frequently on more than one task at a time
• Detail oriented

Curatorial

Interns in the Curatorial Department will assist with both exhibition-specific tasks and general curatorial activities. An effort will be made to include interns in all aspects and phases of a project or exhibition and to enable interns to gain an understanding of the exhibition process.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• General art historical research
• Photo research
• Writing wall texts
• Data organization and entry

Requirements:

• Knowledge of art and/or art history
• Excellent organizational, communication, and computer skills
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to work on multiple tasks at one time
• Detail oriented

Deputy Director's Office

Interns in the Deputy Director's Office will gain experience in all aspects of the administrative functions of museum operations.

Requirements:

• Knowledge of art and/or art history
• Discretion and professionalism in dealing with sensitive information
• Excellent organizational, communication, and computer skills
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to work on multiple tasks at one time
• Detail oriented

Development

Interns will have the opportunity to assist in all areas of the department.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Working with volunteer groups to support the Gallery's fundraising and membership endeavors
• Assisting with membership renewals
• Gift acknowledgement
• Database functions and updates
• Internal office organization

Requirements:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent research and computer skills
• Desire to learn about fundraising operations for a not-for-profit organization
• Discretion and professionalism in dealing with sensitive financial information
• Ability to work independently and often on multiple tasks at one time
• Detail oriented

Education

Interns in the Education Department will gain experience in family event planning in a museum education department.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Assisting in development and research of hands-on family activities
• Writing and designing printed materials for family events
• Planning, managing, and directing the logistics of family events
• Scheduling and training of event volunteers
• Assisting in programming on M&T FIRST FRIDAYS nights

Requirements:

• Interest in working with both children and adults in a museum environment
• Knowledge of art making processes and/or art history
• Excellent organizational, written and verbal communication, and computer skills
• Ability to take direction and work in a team environment
• Detail oriented

Events Planning/Marketing/Public Relations

Interns will have the opportunity to gain experience in three different aspects of museum operations, including events planning, marketing, and public relations.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Organizing and evaluating advertising and marketing initiatives
• Assisting with external and internal Gallery events

Requirements:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent research and computer skills
• Ability to work independently and often on multiple tasks at one time
• Detail oriented

Human Resources

Interns in the Human Resources Department will assist in various tasks related to the strategic Human Resources partnership with the mission and goals of the Gallery.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Surveying other gallery/not for profit policies and procedures
• Assistance with implementation of Human Resources processes
• Creation of employee friendly/time-saving tools
• Assisting in the development of Gallery processes, policies, and procedures
• Database updates

Requirements:

• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal skills
• Strong computer skills
• Ability to work independently on multiple tasks
• Ability to handle confidential information

Library

Interns will work in The G. Robert Strauss, Jr. Memorial Library and Archives that has a growing, non-circulating collection of more than 45,000 titles as well as extensive archives. Interns will have the opportunity to gain professional field experience in a museum library setting.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Cataloging single artist catalogues
• Processing items and performing tasks related to retrospective conversion
• Providing specialized in-person, telephone, mail, and web-based art reference services
• Taking part in bibliographic instruction and collection development work
• Assisting with the appraisal, arrangement, description, and preservation of the Gallery’s institutional records
• Collaborating on the development of bibliographies and exhibition histories for museum catalogues and other exhibition related publications

Requirements:

• Excellent research skills
• Excellent organizational, communication, and computer skills
• Detail oriented
• Knowledge of art and/or art history helpful
• Knowledge of library practices helpful

Publications

Interns in the Publications Department will have the opportunity to be involved in all areas of the department and are expected to assist on a number of different, often overlapping, projects. These projects may include the Annual Report; forthcoming exhibition catalogues and brochures; the Gallery website; wall texts, signage, and invitations for forthcoming exhibitions; and various brochures.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Proofreading
• Compiling manuscripts
• Running authority checks
• Organizing and maintaining project production schedules and files
• Assisting with research on forthcoming catalogues
• Fact-checking
• Clearing copyright permissions related to Gallery publications

Requirements:

• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Excellent research and computer skills
• Ability to work independently and on multiple projects at one time
• Excellent writing skills
• Detail oriented

Registrar's Office

Interns will have the opportunity to assist in all aspects of the Registrar's Office and gain direct experience with and knowledge of the Gallery’s Collection.

Requirements:

• Knowledge of art and/or art history
• Excellent organizational, communication, and computer skills
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to work on multiple tasks at one time
• Detail oriented

shop AK

Interns in shop AK will gain experience in the behind-the-scenes workings of the museum retail environment.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Researching materials on emerging artists
• Data entry of book titles
• Unpacking and reconciling merchandise
• Maintaining database information
• Communication with vendors

Requirements:

• Excellent organization, communication, and computer skills
• Ability to work with figures
• Ability to take direction and work in a team environment
• Detail oriented
• Retail experience and/or knowledge of retail environment helpful

Technology Services

Interns will assist in the modification and creation of database reports. Data for the reports will be pulled from several museum databases including MS SQL Server and Oracle Server.

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Learning Crystal Reports 8.5 and 11 software
• Learning the data structure of commonly used museum database software (Admissions, Collections Management, Development, and Accounting)
• Working with staff across several departments to understand what reports need to be created or modified
• Create or modify the reports using the Crystal Reports software

Requirements:

• Knowledge of computer systems
• Ability to understand databases and data structures
• Excellent organizational skills
• Ability to work independently