Internships at The Asheville Art Museum
As part of its longstanding education program, the Museum’s internship program aims to give interns real-world experience and insight so that their transition from student to professional is supported, informed, and encouraged. This goal is achieved by:
- Providing current undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates (within one year of graduation), opportunities to collaborate with Museum staff on projects related to the arts, arts education, and arts administration
- Introducing interns to the broad spectrum of museum work and to Museum staff, departments, programs, and operations
Interns are an integral part of the Museum’s community, helping staff and visitors in many ways. In addition, the Museum seeks to reach underserved populations that have limited access to arts and professional development opportunities in the arts.
Summer 2025 Decorative Arts Trust IDEAL Internship for BIPOC undergraduate students and recent graduates:
The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to partner with the Decorative Arts Trust to host two paid summer internships for BIPOC undergraduate students or recent graduates in the Curatorial Department. Established in 2020, the Decorative Arts Trust IDEAL Internships create opportunities for undergraduate students of color through collaborations that create meaningful introductions to the museum field and introduce new perspectives and voices to curatorial practice.
The two interns will assist with the development of and educational programming for an upcoming exhibition focused on objects chosen from the Museum’s holdings in decorative arts, craft, and material culture. The interns will work alongside the curatorial, education, and communications teams to gain experience in all aspects of creating, installing, interpreting, programming, and marketing the exhibition. Additionally, the interns will have the opportunity to create a digital version of the exhibition that will be hosted on the Museum’s website and social media channels.
This is a paid internship. The stipend for the 8-week summer internship is $1950. In addition to valuable work experience, interns also receive many benefits, including discounts at our café and gift shop and the ability to participate in a weekly professional development workshop about various museum departments and other career opportunities in the visual arts field. Candidates accepted into the program are responsible for securing their own housing and transportation (including parking).
The application process for this internship is the same as for our other internships (see detailed instructions below). In your cover letter please indicate your interest in applying for the IDEAL internship.
Additional paid internships for Summer 2025 will be offered in the following departments of the Museum:
- Learning & Engagement (Summer Art Camp and Studio programs)
- Curatorial (Collections Management)
- Communications and Marketing
Please see below for detailed descriptions of each internship.
In addition to interning under staff guidance on projects that support individual departments in the Museum, summer interns participate in a robust professional development program during June and July. Weekly lunches are scheduled with each Museum department, giving interns an opportunity to explore the range of museum work, to meet and network with current museum professionals, and to get useful advice for putting classroom knowledge into practice. Related weekly field trips may include an Urban Trail/ historic architecture walking tour, artists’ studio visits, behind-the-scenes tours of local museums, galleries and cultural institutions, a conservation lab, an auction house, and other networking opportunities.
The Museum offers both paid and volunteer internships (see individual internship descriptions). The Museum regularly coordinates with schools, colleges, and universities to ensure academic credit is received by current students.
Learning & Engagement (Summer Art Camp):
Internships with the Learning & Engagement team offer students interested in art education, museum studies or a related field, an opportunity to experience and develop art educational skills in a museum setting. Such skills are interacting with various age groups, assisting with exhibition-related/curriculum-based art projects for various age groups, collaborating with our Summer Art Camp/Makerspace educators in the studio, and more. Interns also assist with administrative tasks and help staff with a range of programs. Depending on interns’ interests, they may also research and present a gallery talk or write a blog post. Interns should be friendly, energetic, highly motivated, and creative; familiar with a variety of art materials; and have a positive, enthusiastic attitude towards interacting with learners of all ages.
Curatorial (Collections Management):
The Curatorial team performs ongoing research into the Museum’s growing Collection of 20th and 21st century American art. Under the supervision of the Curatorial and Registration staff, interns assist with the documentation and care of the Museum’s Collection. In addition to standard collections-management tasks such as condition-reporting, record-keeping, art-handling, and inventorying, interns assist with a specialized project focused on in-depth research into the 1000+ artists represented in the Collection. The project could include expanding information on copyright status, artist contact and representation, and/or artist biographical information. Interns gain experience working with accession files and updating the Museum’s collections-management database, EmbARK. Interns also have the opportunity to contribute research towards the Museum’s publicly searchable online database, WebKiosk, with a particular focus on updating artist biographies. This opportunity is excellent for college-level students interested in a museum career to develop their skills in database management, museum record-keeping, art-handling, condition-reporting, and inventory procedures. Interns should be self-motivated, organized, and detail-oriented, with excellent writing, research, and computer skills and a knack for precision.
Communications
The Communications Department expands public awareness of the Museum and aims to increase attendance and revenue. The Communications Department produces press releases; circulates images for reproduction, places advertisements, produces print and digital newsletters and other promotional materials, and updates the Museum’s website and social-media pages. Interns assist in writing content for the website, creating social media content, producing press releases, and creating graphics.
In creating marketing content, the intern may interview artists and other experts, research the Collection works and/or artists in-depth, and locate photographs and other imagery. The ideal candidate will have excellent writing skills, an interest in marketing and storytelling, some knowledge of art history, and an interest in the arts.
Stipend/Academic Credit
The Museum offers a modest stipend of $500 for summer internships, expecting students to obtain additional funding from their institution’s internship program. In addition, the Museum regularly coordinates with colleges and universities to coordinate academic credit is received by current students if deemed appropriate.
Priority Application deadline: March 1, 2025
How to Apply
Applications are accepted through the Museum’s online Internship Program Application portal only. Click on the “Apply Now” button below to access the portal. The application takes about 15–20 minutes to complete. There is no way to save your work and return, so review the application checklist below to ensure that you have all the information ready that you need. Make sure to press “Done” at the bottom of the last page before exiting. For more information or if you have questions, email Julie Levin Caro, Head of Learning and Engagement.
APPLICATION CHECKLIST
- Information about any diplomas you have completed and/or currently pursuing, including school name, major/minor fields, and dates attended.
- Current resume/CV indicating education and employment history (including place of employment, job title, dates of employment, and main duties). You may also include extracurricular activities that you are/were involved in during your time as a student, prior internships, volunteer experience, and/or and interests. Save and upload as a PDF, DOC, or JPG.
- A 1–2-page letter indicating why you are applying for an internship at the Asheville Art Museum, your specific interest in and/or skills related to each internship(s) for which you are applying, and what you hope to contribute during your internship. Save and upload as a PDF, DOC, or JPG.
- A 3–5-page paper from a class related to the internship(s) for which you are applying. Save and upload as a PDF, DOC, or JPG.
- Unofficial transcripts from each college or university attended. Save and upload as a PDF (preferred) or JPG.
- If you are or potentially pursuing academic credit for the internship, information from your institution outlining hours/assignments/evaluations needed, and any other required materials/information for you to earn credit. Save and upload as a PDF (preferred) or JPG.
REFERENCES
In addition, each application requires two Internship Program Reference forms from professional, educational, or character references in support of your application. These forms should be submitted by your references directly to the Museum; it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that completed forms are submitted to the Museum by the appropriate application deadline.