Curatorial Intern

Overview:

Throughout the summer, the Getty Marrow Curatorial Intern will be exposed to the diverse functions of MOCA’s Curatorial Department and develop foundational research and writing skills necessary for a successful career in the museum field. Reporting to the Assistant Curator and the Curatorial Assistant, the Intern will engage in essential departmental initiatives including research for forthcoming exhibitions; social media content development; and MOCA’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Initiative (IDEA). This position may include both remote and on-site assignments.

THIS POSITION MAY BE RIGHT FOR YOU IF:

• YOU HAVE AN INTEREST IN CONTEMPORARY ART and learning about approaches to art historical research.

• YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT EXHIBITION DEVELOPMENT and the research, writing, and planning required from the curatorial side.

• YOU ARE PRODUCTIVE WHEN WORKING INDEPENDENTLY and identifying tasks that need to be accomplished.

Essential Functions:

RESEARCH

• Assist with online and library research on MOCA’s collection, and learn how research findings are applied to the development of exhibitions, including checklist selections and drafting wall labels. The Intern will receive training in The Museum System (TMS), a collection management software used at several art institutions.

• Join the research team for MOCA’s 2024 Pacific Standard Time project, a major new commission by Olafur Eliasson. The Intern will support the work of an international advisory committee for this project, assisting with planning and implementation of a virtual committee meeting as well as follow up and documentation.

• Conduct research for a forthcoming permanent collection exhibition in support of wall label creation. The Intern will use their newly-developed knowledge of TMS, along with a provided copy of the MOCA Style Guide, to engage in the process by assisting with the verification and formatting of object captions and compiling articles about permanent collection works.

DIGITAL CONTENT CREATION

• Assist in Curatorial social media activity, including contributions to MOCA’s ongoing “Details” Instagram series, which highlights evocative details from works in the permanent collection. The Intern will be able to make their own selection of works to write about, marking an additional means of getting to know the collection.

GETTY MARROW INTERN REQUIRED ACTIVITIES

• Attend three mandatory Education Events: Arts Summit, Two Learning Community events
• Submit end-of internship evaluation.

Requirements:

• Member of a group underrepresented in museums and visual arts organizations, including, but not limited to, individuals of African American, Asian, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, or Pacific Islander descent;
• Currently enrolled undergraduate (bachelor’s degree program, associate’s degree program, or a vocational or technical program below the baccalaureate level). Students must have completed at least one semester or two quarters of college by June 2021. Students who graduated after April 1, 2021 are also eligible. (Students who are enrolled in a second BA or BS program are not eligible.)
• Reside or attend college in Los Angeles County;
• United States citizen or permanent resident (non-citizen authorized to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis; also known as a “green card” holder). Students with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) status valid through the internship period are also eligible; and
• May have previously interned as a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern at an organization other than MOCA